How Could I Want More?
by LisaMichelle25
Summary: 5 years after S.H.I.E.L.D. had rose from it's destruction at the hands of HYDRA saw Director Coulson and his team seek out the member that had sadly been missing throughout after she'd gone on the run with the man she would always love. Now after 5 years spent apart they're finally a family again...only this time they've the extra additions of two toddlers and a baby.
1. Checking Up On Baby Girl

**I don't know what to make of this fic other than it was a possible idea that came to me whenever I think about the upcoming finale. I know this will never actually happen in the actual show, as it's just me writing what comes to mind for a little AU SkyeWard fic based off of how the show has been going and what not. **

**Also, it's a story that just would not leave my head until I wrote it down after listening to the song How Could I Want More? by Jamie Lynn Spears (little sister of Britney Spears) as it just screamed SkyeWard at me. So at that I created a story based on the song which has references in it to which you'll notice if you've ever heard the song. If you haven't then I suggest/recommend you check out How Could I Want More? by Jamie Lynn Spears as it is this fics official theme tune I guess you could say, and you should hopefully get a deeper feel for the setting and emotions within this fic if you do listen to the song, but if not enjoy anyway. :)**

**Let me know what you think! :) If anyone reading this ever read my Real Or Not Real? fic then you should know this particular one is going to attack you harshly in your SkyeWard feels...at least I hope. xD**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. However, I do own my OC's of Jemma Ward, Leo Ward &amp; Philip "Phil" Ward.**

* * *

**How Could I Want More?**

**Chapter 1: Checking Up On Baby Girl**

It had been 5 years.

5 long years since S.H.I.E.L.D. had fallen and HYDRA had risen from the darkness.

And now, finally, 5 years later HYDRA was long gone and S.H.I.E.L.D was once again exactly what they used to be, as the government organization had slowly managed to rebuild itself.

Everyone who had ever worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. and had remained loyal throughout were all now once again happy to see their agency back on it's feet. They could now all once again call themselves Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and proudly.

But not everyone was as happy as they should be.

Because it had now been 5 years since Director Coulson and his team had lost a beloved member.

It had now been 5 years to the day that they'd lost Skye...

* * *

Director Philip Coulson parked his 1962 Chevrolet Corvette, whom he called Lola, beside a tall oak tree underneath the shade. He was in the middle of the countryside after taking over 5 hours in driving there. Turning the keys in the ignition he soon had the engine turned off. He then casually leaned back in his seat as he sighed deeply to himself, while staring right ahead to the modest looking little house not far from the oak tree where he was hiding out of sight.

"Why are we here?" asked Deputy Director Melinda May from the passenger seat where she sat beside him.

"Why do you think we're here, Mel?" asked Coulson, as he cast his eyes towards her.

"I honestly don't know" sighed May, rolling her eyes at him slightly. "That's why I asked you."

"Does someone you know live in that house, Sir?" asked Agent Jemma Simmons from where she sat in the middle on the backseat.

"Someone we all know lives in that house, Simmons..." replied Coulson, trailing off with another sigh.

"Who lives there?" asked Agent Antoine "Tripp" Triplett curiously, who was sitting next to Simmons on her left side and behind Coulson.

"Skye..." Agent Leo Fitz all but whispered from where he sat next to Simmons on her right side and behind May. As they all glanced over at him they saw him smiling faintly and looking straight ahead to the house not far from them, where they all now could clearly see Skye walk out from the house with a blanket in her hands, which she then spread out on the grass in front of her. "...it's Skye's house."

"You found her?!" exclaimed Simmons, smiling, as she attempted to scramble over Fitz's lap and out of the car.

"No! Simmons wait!" yelled Coulson, but not loud enough for Skye to hear him. "Stay in the car!"

"But why, Sir?!" exclaimed Simmons. "Aren't we here to see Skye and take her back home to the Bus with us?!"

"Not entirely, no..." sighed Coulson, as he once again trailed off for a few moments before continuing. "...you all remember the reason Skye left the team 5 years ago to this very day."

"Ward saved her life during the final showdown with Garrett when he threatened to torture her, make her bleed and then kill her right in front of him" said May, grimacing at the memory. "After that Skye believed he deserved redemption but no one but she was willing to allow him it. So she foolishly allowed him to run and helped to keep him hidden away secretly."

"Yet I eventually found out that she was helping him" sighed Coulson. "I then became the foolish one when I told her to go to him and try to be happy away from all of the madness that surrounded us. I told her that he needed her to always keep him on the right path as she was his light, and without her by his side he'd slowly slip back into the darkness."

"Always the hopeless romantic eh, Coulson?" chuckled Tripp.

"You should never have done that" said May, flashing him a glare. "Ward needed to pay for his crimes by spending some time locked away in a jail cell."

"We all know fine well he might never have been released" defended Coulson. "I couldn't put Skye through all of that. She deserved to be happy. It's all I ever wanted for her. If she could manage to see past all the bad things that Ward did then why couldn't we?"

"She was blinded by her love for him" sighed May. "A love which after 5 years could have gone downhill. I see Skye over there in that garden but I don't see Ward anywhere in sight."

"I do!" said Fitz suddenly, making everyone look up and towards the garden, where a shirtless Ward clad only in a pair of tight fitting blue jeans had just walked out of the house and towards Skye. "Looks like they are still together after all!"

"But the question we should now ask ourselves is are they still happy?" said Simmons aloud.

"Nah! The real question we should be asking is does he treat her how she deserves to be treated?" said Tripp, as he watched how Ward was with Skye carefully, mentally preparing himself to bolt from the car in their direction if he even so much as witnessed the start of a dispute between the two of them.

"I brought you all here with me today not to bring Skye back with us but merely to observe and see how she's been doing living with Ward alone all of these years" said Coulson, as he too mentally prepared himself like Tripp was to spring to immediate action if needed. "So let's do just that. Afterwards we'll decide if we should let them know we're here or if we should leave them to just continue living their lives in peace."

"Because we could take Skye back to the Bus and the team with us but we could never take Ward..." said May, trailing off.

"...because the moment we did he'd be arrested and locked away for life and never allowed to see Skye again" said Coulson, as he picked up where she left off.

They all fell silent after that, as they continued to secretly watch their two fellow teammates in the garden not far from them, watching intently to see what type of a life the two of them now led together.

* * *

As Skye walked out of her house she was instantly met by the heat radiating from the sun above her. Smiling to herself, as she'd always loved sunny days, she soon set off towards the middle of the garden where she kneeled down and spread the large blanket she'd been holding in her arms out across the freshly cut green grass. Once finished she happily sprawled out on her back and stared up at the clear blue sky and clouds above her with a contented sigh.

"Are you sure it's a good idea for you to even be out in the sun?" came the ever concerned voice of her husband Grant Ward.

"A little bit of sun never hurt anyone, Grant" said Skye, as she smiled up at him now hovering over her with his hands on his hips.

"That may be true but regardless I don't want you staying out here too long, okay?" said Grant, as he frowned down at his wife, still as stubborn as ever even years later.

"Yes, boss" giggled Skye, as she saluted him. "Just lie down next to me for a little bit while it's peaceful and quiet. You know as well as I do that never lasts long around here anymore."

Grant merely sighed and smiled as he did as she asked him too. Lying next to her he tilted his head in her direction just as she did the same to him. "Hey there, beautiful."

"Hey back at ya, handsome" grinned Skye, as she leaned over to kiss him the same time as he leaned towards her, their lips instantly capturing each other, tongues fusing together as always.

After they pulled apart for air they soon cuddled up to each other as they lay in a contented silence for awhile.

As they did Skye couldn't help but think to herself how lucky she was to have a guy like Grant as her husband and to be able to proudly call herself his wife. Throughout the 5 years that they had now been together she'd at times found it difficult to move past all of the bad things that he'd done in the past when he'd been a secret sleeper agent for John Garrett, as he'd never really been loyal to HYDRA just simply his old S.O., she'd also come to learn that he'd ultimately had no choice. Garrett had controlled him for over 15 years just like his parents and older brother had for 16 years prior to him meeting Garrett. He'd been taken from one Hell only to be thrust into a far worse one. He'd done bad things, killed innocent people and would always have red in his ledger. But everyone deserved a second chance at redemption. Grant had managed to prove that to her when he'd not only made sure that FitzSimmons were safe and away from Garrett being able to kill them, even if it had meant he'd had to eject them from the Bus via a pod into the middle of the ocean at the time, but he'd also selflessly saved her own life when Garrett had threatened to take it away from her for good. He'd been given a choice to side with the man who he'd followed blindly for over 15 years, or to side with the woman he'd known for less than a year and had slowly but surely fallen irrevocably in love with. And he'd chosen Skye. He had turned on Garrett, killing him in the process, and saved her life. And then he'd willingly agreed to hand himself over to S.H.I.E.L.D. afterwards to atone for his crimes, knowing he'd never see Skye again. But Skye had been unwilling to let that happen, because in that moment she had finally understood and had once more saw the man she herself had fallen irrevocably in love with once again standing in front of her. And he was a man she couldn't let rot in a jail cell for the rest of his life, knowing that no one but her would ever agree that he deserved a chance at redemption.

And so she had allowed him to run. She'd given him the chance to escape. And she'd promised him that no matter what she would keep him hidden, keep him safe, while she bided her time until she herself could join him. Skye had kept her promise as she made it borderline impossible for anyone to ever locate former Agent Grant Ward ever again. But then Coulson had figured out what she'd been up to. At first he'd been angry with her before he'd eventually understood why she was doing it. And then finally with his blessing and approval she left in the middle of the night one night, leaving behind letters for her fellow teammates saying goodbye and revealing her reason for leaving the team, hoping they'd forgive her and would never forget her as she would never forget them. And with that she was gone, never to be seen or heard from again.

It had now been 5 years to the day that Skye had left the team behind and met up with Grant as she'd promised him that she would. A promise that she'd kept. And in those 5 years they'd gotten married and settled down in the countryside where no one could find them, as Skye constantly made sure no one ever did.

After 5 years of living with Grant and being happily married to him Skye still didn't regret her decision to leave the team behind and spend the rest of her life living with a former traitor of S.H.I.E.L.D. and as she'd once called him when she'd been extremely angry with him, a serial killer and Nazi, not meaning either of them at the time and knowing he was far from being an actual Nazi. But over the years he'd more than made it all up to her in her eyes and had slowly managed to redeem himself with her help. He was a good man, despite not always believing that he was. He had a kind heart that any girl would die for, and Skye definitely would, just as he would for her. He treated her like a Princess and constantly let her get her own way. He listened to her intently whenever she spoke, practically hanging on every word she ever said. All he ever did was love her unconditionally, as he swore that's what he'd ultimately been born to do, and no matter what happened he always would. _How could I want more? _she found herself thinking constantly.

Skye thought about the others on their once upon a team every single day. She missed A.C. more than she ever thought would be possible, as he'd always been like a father to her and always would be. She missed May who at times had been like a mother to her, and always would be as well. She missed FitzSimmons who over time had become the big brother and sister she'd never had but always wanted. She missed Tripp who had become a close friend of hers and another big brother as time went on. She missed them all and wondered constantly what they were now all doing, if they were happy, if they missed her. She knew Grant missed them too, though he rarely admitted it, as he knew deep down that aside from Fitz they probably didn't miss him as much as they'd miss Skye, something which he couldn't blame them for and knew he maybe even deserved just a little bit.

Skye sometimes found herself thinking over the years that maybe she ought to say to Grant that she was sorry, that everything between them was over, and that he should move on and live his own life without her. Because she wanted to return to the team and be a family with them again, even if he could never go with her as he'd be arrested and locked away for life the moment he ever did. But she never did leave him. Because she just couldn't. She loved him too much to ever do that to him. She refused to throw everything they'd ever worked hard to achieve together away so easily. She knew if she ever told him what she thought that he'd allow her to cry on his shoulder, say it was alright, and hold her in his arms while her tears poured. Because that was just the type of man that Grant was these days. He was always there for her whenever she needed him. He was the best husband she could ever dream of having. He loved her unconditionally and she knew that he always would. They'd settled down together, created a life away from secret government agencies together and were finally and truly happy with each other. This was how it was meant to be for them. _How could I want more? _Skye found herself thinking yet again.

A loud cry suddenly brought Skye out of her thoughts making both her and Grant suddenly jerk upright from where they were lying down together.

"I'm on it! Don't panic!" said Grant, as he jumped to his feet and raced into the house.

As Grant ran into the house Skye lay back down and allowed herself to relax once more as she stared up at the clear, blue sky above her. She was quickly disturbed from her peaceful relaxation when something suddenly jumped on her out of nowhere and with absolutely no warning. "OOF! What the hell?!"

"Leo Ward! What have I told you about diving onto your mother like that lately?!" said Grant, as he followed his runaway 2 year old son out of the house who'd managed to give him the slip.

"Oh relax, Grant!" said Skye, as she tickled her son, making him laugh, and then kissed his cheek. "He doesn't mean any harm. You've got to remember he's only 2 years old and forgets most of the things you tell him!"

"You underestimate our son as he's a lot smarter than he looks for a 2 year old" said Grant, as he watched his wife now proceeding to practically tickle their young son to death.

"Did you find out why he was crying?" asked Skye, glancing over towards him.

"I did yes. You'll find the culprit by the name of Jemma Ward standing by the front door giggling mischievously!" chuckled Grant, as he pointed over towards the front door of their house where their giggling 4 year old daughter now stood. "Apparently she thought it would be funny to scare him awake."

"It was funny!" giggled Jemma. "He screamed didn't he?!"

"Like I said before the peace and quiet never lasts long around here anymore, especially with these little munchkins making sure of it all the time!" laughed Skye, as she smiled at her children.

"TAG! YOU'RE IT DADDY!" giggled Jemma, as she promptly smacked her father on his arm and darted away from him as quickly as a lightning bolt.

"I'll tell you something and that's for a 4 year old little girl she can really hit hard!" said Grant, rubbing his arm where his daughter had hit him. Shrugging it off he more than happily chased off after his now squealing daughter.

"Why don't you go and help your big sister get your daddy, hmm?" said Skye to her son, as she nuzzled her nose against his. "Two against one and he doesn't stand a chance!"

"Mummy too!" clapped Leo, as he jumped to his feet excitedly.

"Mummy is too tired right now but maybe later, okay?" smiled Skye. "You go and play and I'll sit here and watch the three of you."

"Otay!" beamed Leo, as he gave his mother a hug and a slobbery kiss, before running off to help his sister chase after their father.

As Skye remained sitting on the grass watching her two young children run circles around her husband she couldn't help but smile contently to herself at the scene playing out in front of her. She finally had what she'd always wanted. Grant finally had what he'd always wanted. And together that was a family. They finally had each other and two beautiful children with the promise of more to come. _How could I want more? _smiled Skye, as she once again thought that thought. She finally had everything she'd ever wished, hoped and dreamed for. Both her and Grant now had something they'd never truly had before and that was a family that they would do anything to keep and would always keep safe, protect and love no matter what life threw their way.

After running around the garden chasing their father for over half an hour both children eventually started to get tired, soon passing out fast asleep on the blanket on the grass and in between their smiling parents.

"We should probably get them back inside" said Grant, as he sat up and started rising to his feet. "They might get sun burnt if we don't."

"The sun isn't that hot, Mr. Overprotective" laughed Skye. "But your right as we should get them back inside. I could use a nap myself and when better to nap than when they do."

"Even if they wake up while you're napping I'll tend to them as you need your rest more than anyone these days" smiled Grant, as he took Skye's hands in his and gently pulled her to her feet.

"Is that a fact?" smiled Skye, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You know it is" smiled Grant, as he dipped his head to kiss her, claiming her lips to his own in seconds.

Skye smiled into the kiss as she more than happily kissed her husband back. Their blissful kiss was quickly disturbed by a flutter of movement between them, which made them both pull apart and smile downwards to where it came from.

"I think someone is waking up" chuckled Grant, as he rested his right hand lightly atop Skye's expanding stomach and glided it back and forth soothingly.

"You're son has a habit of not sleeping for very long" smiled Skye, as she glanced down and rested her own hand on top of his. "Especially when he knows his daddy is nearby."

"Naughty little Phil" smiled Grant, as he leaned down and placed a tender kiss across her six month bump, narrowly missing his sons enthusiastic kick afterwards from hitting him in his right cheek, making him chuckle.

"Alright that's enough you two!" giggled Skye. "Let's get the others inside and put to bed so I can go nap too before this one here completely wakes up and starts using my organs as his own personal football!"

"You got it, babe" chuckled Grant, as he gave her one last quick kiss before walking over towards his sleeping son and scooping him up into his arms to hand to his wife, since she'd probably just topple over if she tried to bend and lift him herself. "You take Leo inside and I'll take Jemma."

"Sounds like a plan" said Skye, as she happily took her sleeping son into her arms and cuddled him to her chest, smiling when he rested his head against her shoulder without waking up.

"Once we've put them down to nap I'll join you in bed for a nap too before they wake up again" said Grant, as he walked into their house with his sleeping daughter in his arms. "Running around the garden after two small children is a tiring thing!"

"Just wait because in another 3 months time it'll soon be three!" laughed Skye, as she set off following her husband into their house.

* * *

Over in Lola where they still yet remained out of sight to the oblivious couple before them sat Coulson, May, Fitz, Simmons and Tripp, as they all silently took in the happy scene that played out in front of them. They had all been close enough to be able to overhear every word that had been said between Skye, Grant and their two young children, but they'd been just far enough away for neither of them to notice their lingering and eavesdropping presence.

"Damn! They have two kids!" exclaimed Tripp with a smile, as he watched them happily.

"Soon to be three" said May quietly in a little bit of shock, as she'd hadn't quite expected that, though she probably should have done, as after all it had been 5 years now so of course they were bound to have started a family together.

"They called their son Leo" smiled Fitz, a few stray tears falling down his cheeks that he didn't even bother wiping away. "That's got to be after me."

"Of course it's after you, Fitz" laughed Simmons, as she smiled. "And their daughter is called Jemma. And that's after me!"

"It doesn't quite make up for the time Ward ejected you both from the Bus via a pod into the middle of the ocean but it's a start no less" said May with a hint of sarcasm.

"We all know now that the reason Ward did that was because it was his only way of truly saving me and Simmons at the time, May" said Fitz, as he defended Ward like he always had done and would continue to do so. "If he hadn't then Garrett would have put a bullet to our heads or something far worse the moment we stepped foot outside of that pod again."

"I know that. I just think he still got off a little too easily for doing that along with everything else that he did" sighed May. "Though I am honestly happy for Skye. She's got the family she always wanted. And I know at the end of the day that despite what Ward did in his past he'll always love and protect Skye and their children."

"Because he's a good man despite his past faults" said Coulson, as he watched the happy little family before him simply be happy. "Skye was always the light to Ward's darkness and she always will be."

"As much as I'm happy to see that they are both happy and that he treats her how she deserves to be treated I'm still a little bit disappointed that he didn't do anything that would have warranted me making my presence known so I could kick his butt!" grumbled Tripp, making them all laugh while silently agreeing with him.

"Baby number three is going to be called Phil" beamed Coulson like a proud as can be father who was being honoured with a future grandson being named after him.

"Of course he is" said May, as she smiled at him. "Skye will always need a Phil in her life. This is her way of getting you back somehow."

"I'll always be in her heart and she'll always be in mine" smiled Phil, tears welling up behind his eyes. "I know she knows that deep down and that she always will."

"We're not going to go and let them know we were ever even here are we, Sir?" asked Simmons sadly, as she already knew the answer.

"No, Simmons, we're not" answered Coulson just as sadly, his heart nearly breaking in the process, as he was so close to the girl he would always view as his daughter, yet he was so far away too, and had to remain that way for everyone's sake. "They are happy. We should let them remain that way. It'll be harder for us all to say goodbye if we actually talk to them, as they can't return with us. Skye can but she would never leave Ward or her children behind, especially her children. Her life with S.H.I.E.L.D. has been over for 5 years now. She doesn't belong with us anymore."

"Plus this is Skye we're talking about. She'll always be one of the best computer hackers in the world" said May, glancing at each of them in turn. "She'll know for sure by now that HYDRA is long gone and S.H.I.E.L.D. is once again top dog. If she'd wanted to return then she would have done so by now."

Nodding at her with a faint smile Coulson turned the keys in the ignition and started up Lola's engine. With one final, longing glance at the house and the family that occupied it, he slowly and reluctantly drove the car and his team away, as they set off on their journey back home.

"Goodbye Skye, Grant, Jemma, Leo and baby Phil" they all chorused in unison, surprising them all at being so in sync as they drove away for good, but smiling at each other as they did so.

They were saddened knowing that they would never get to see Skye, Ward or their children again, but it made them all happy to know that they had each other, that they were happy, that they loved each other and that above all they were safe.

Because it was the happy ending that the 5 of them had always wanted for their two fellow teammates who they would never, ever forget.

* * *

As Skye walked into her house with her son cuddled tightly to her she stopped before entering and following after her husband. Turning around and peering out across the wide open country before her she didn't fail to notice the familiar red 1962 Chevrolet Corvette known as Lola drive off into the distance, as if it had never even been there in the first place.

The last thing Skye did before she turned and entered her house was sigh, smile and allow a few stray tears to slip from her eyes and fall down her cheeks. _I knew you'd get my 'accidental' slip up location wise, A.C. I knew you'd stop by with the rest of the team to check up on me and Grant. And I know you won't tell anyone where we are. I miss you guys. I love you guys. I hope you all know that deep down. Always and forever..._

And with that final thought Skye wiped away her tears, turned towards her home with her son in her arms, stepped inside and closed the door behind her.


	2. 6 Months Later

**I'm so happy that so many people enjoyed this story and I loved all of the reviews I got to which I hoped I replied to every single one :) Quite a lot of you requested I write a sequel to this story wanting me to continue it and see if Coulson and the others ever returned to see Skye and Ward. So at that instead of a sequel how about some more chapters instead? :D? So, please feel free to let me know what you think of this chapter and if you'd like to still see me continue it or not, as I hope this chapter is as good as the first one :) **

**I gotta say I think I might have nearly died from my own Daddy!Ward feels from this. Anyone else? ._. Daddy!Ward is too adorable and dear lordy the children I created for them! Here's hoping people like those 3 little OC's I created lol :P**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. However, I do own my O.C's of Jemma Ward, Leo Ward &amp; Philip "Phil" Ward.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: 6 Months Later **

It was 6 months later when Agent Coulson once again gathered up his team, consisting of Agent May, Agent Fitz, Agent Simmons and Agent Triplett, for another outing in his precious Lola. He'd refused to tell them where he was taking them at the time, as he'd insisted their destination was to remain a surprise. FitzSimmons had more than happily jumped into the backseat, while Coulson himself had jumped into the driver's seat. May and Tripp, however, had decided to have a quick sparring session to determine which one out of the two of them would get to call shotgun and sit beside him in the passenger seat. It had taken May less than 3 minutes to have Tripp flat on his back and pinned to the ground, while she'd then triumphantly declared herself the winner, before she'd released him and slided into the passenger seat next to Coulson with a smirk across her face. All Tripp was left to do was pull himself to his feet, as he'd begrudgingly jumped into the backseat next to FitzSimmons with a pout across his face. Coulson had simply chuckled and shook his head at the two of them, as he booted up Lola's engine and set off on their journey.

* * *

After over 5 hours of driving, as sometimes he just liked to drive Lola along wide open country roads instead of flying her to get there quicker, they eventually arrived at their destination a little after 3:30 in the afternoon.

"We're here!" declared Coulson with a smile, as he parked Lola behind a large oak tree and out of sight of the house not too far away from them all.

"Skye and Ward's house..." said May with a sigh, as she glanced over at him. "...I should have known this was where you were bringing us all again."

"Why exactly have we returned, Sir?" asked Tripp. "The original plan was to leave them both to live in peace."

"That and it's hard for us all to see them without actually being able to _see them_" said Simmons, emphasizing on the last two words.

"I agree with Simmons" said Fitz, while glancing over towards the house that belonged to Skye and Ward, wishing more than anything to just go and knock on the front door.

"He's brought us back because if I know Coulson as well as I do then it's because he's hoping to catch a glimpse of baby Phil who should have been born 3 months ago by now" said May, as she once again glanced over at him. "I know I'm right so don't even try to deny it."

"I wasn't planning on denying anything" smiled Coulson. "You're right. I'm hoping to catch a glimpse of the baby and see if he's okay as well as healthy. I saw how loving and caring Skye and Ward were towards their little toddlers and now I just want to see how they are with the baby too."

"It'll be even harder for you to just walk away afterwards if you see that baby, Philip..." said May, trailing off.

"I know. But I'll make myself. We all will. It's for the best at the end of the day and we all know that despite it being really hard at the time" sighed Coulson. "This is the last time that I will put us all through this. I promise."

"I'd quit talking right now if I were you, Sir, as there's a car driving up the road and heading to the house" said Tripp, pointing out the car not far from them. "Best we all remain quiet behind this tree and hope we aren't spotted."

"Like Tripp said everyone be quiet" whispered Coulson, as he slouched down in his seat a little bit. "All of you copy me. Get down. Pretend you aren't here."

May simply rolled her eyes at him while copying him regardless. FitzSimmons and Tripp soon followed suit, as the 5 of them proceeded to watch the car in front of them drive up the winding path and park just outside the white picket fence and gate in front of the garden.

As they all remained silent and out of sight they soon saw Ward step out of the car after stopping the engine, closing the door behind him, as he then walked around to the left side of the car and opened the backseat door, while all of them continued to watch and listen intently.

* * *

"Out you come lil' Miss Jemma!" said Grant, as he helped his 4 year old daughter out of the car.

"Can I go and play now, daddy?" asked Jemma, as she skipped around the car, her pigtails flapping about behind her while her little purple backpack jumped about on her back.

"Once you've told mummy that you're back from school and then changed out of your school uniform you can play. But not before, okay?" said Grant, as he leaned over their garden gate and unlocked the lock and pushed it open for her, since she was still too tiny to reach it herself.

"But I like my school uniform! My dress is pretty!" smiled Jemma at her father, promptly twirling around in front of him so as to prove her point that her dress was far too pretty to take off.

"A pretty dress that you're just going to get completely covered in mud while playing in the garden!" sighed Grant, as he kissed his daughter on her forehead. "Now go and see mummy and then get changed."

"Ugh! Fine!" scowled Jemma, as she flounced off towards the house.

"She is just too much like Skye. God help me!" muttered Grant to himself with a shake of his head, as he then turned back towards his car and opened the door to the backseat on the right where he was promptly greeted with an excited "Dada!"

"Don't worry lil' man, as dada hasn't forgotten about you!" chuckled Grant, as he unbuckled his now 2 and half year old son Leo from his car seat and helped him out of the car to stand next to him.

But Leo had other ideas that didn't include simply standing still while his father leaned inside the back of the car to pick his dropped bottle of milk he'd been drinking up from the floor. Laughing mischievously he quickly turned away from him and made a run for the direction they'd come from.

"LEO ANTOINE WARD!" yelled Grant after his fleeing son. Quickly grabbing the bottle from the floor he then slammed the car door shut and raced off after him, catching up to him in a matter of seconds and scooping him up into his arms. "You know you're not meant to run off like that!"

"Why?!" laughed Leo, as _'why?' _was his second favourite response to nearly everything after his most favourite word of all being _'no.'_

"Because dada would have a heart attack if he lost you that's why!" said Grant, as he set off walking back towards their house.

"So?" said Leo, still laughing.

"If you're not constantly responding with why and no then it's so" sighed Grant, as he shifted his son in his arms so that he was facing him. "Dada doesn't wanna lose you."

"Why?" asked Leo, his laughter dying down a little bit now, as he played with the top button on his father's shirt.

"Because dada loves you" replied Grant, placing a soft little kiss upon his son's nose tenderly.

"Love dada" said Leo, hugging his father tightly.

"I know you do lil' man" said Grant, smiling, as he walked into the garden with his son in his arms, closing the gate and locking it behind him. "Let's go and see what you're mummy is doing, yeah?"

"And Biscuit!" said Leo, clapping excitedly.

"Oh how could I forget about Biscuit!" chuckled Grant, as he stepped into his house with Leo and closed the door behind them.

* * *

Meanwhile, over in Lola, and unbeknownst to Grant and his children at the time, now sat a smiling Coulson, May, Fitz, Simmons and Tripp, who had witnessed everything.

"Ward is such an amazing and loving father!" smiled Simmons. "I can tell how much he dotes on his children and loves them unconditionally!"

"Little Leo's middle name is Antoine!" exclaimed Tripp. "He didn't just name his son after Fitz but after me too! Man do I feel like crying some manly tears right now!"

"Who and what the hell is Biscuit?!" asked Fitz confusedly, furrowing his brows in confusion. "Unless he meant he wanted a biscuit but I don't think he did."

"They live in the countryside with a big front garden and no doubt a back one to match too" said May, as she turned around to face Fitz. "Therefore I'm guessing Biscuit is either a dog or a cat. I'm betting on a dog more though."

"A dog or cat called Biscuit of all things?!" exclaimed Fitz.

"Probably named by your namesake too!" smirked May.

"Speaking of namesakes didn't little Jemma look utterly adorable in her little school uniform?! She was so pretty in her little pink dress bless her! No wonder she doesn't like taking it off!" beamed Jemma proudly. "And don't even get me started on those oh so cute pigtails of hers tied up with those adorable little red ribbons!"

"She's absolutely beautiful, just like Skye. She's the spitting image of her mother without a doubt" smiled Coulson. "Skye definitely has a mini her in little Jemma. And little Leo is the image of Ward, so he's even got himself a mini him. I wish I knew who little Phil looked like out of the two of them."

"Perhaps he looks like them both?" said May, glancing at him with a smile.

"I'll bet he does" smiled Coulson, as he diverted his attention back towards the house when he saw the front door opening once more. "Someone's coming outside again. Duck and hush!"

Ducking down in their seats yet again they all went silent once more as they saw little Jemma run out of the house squealing and giggling, as a black and white border collie dog chased after her.

"I'm betting that dog is Biscuit!" whispered May, laughing. "I knew I was right in thinking they'd have a dog! It wouldn't surprise me if they have a cat lurking about somewhere too."

* * *

Over in the garden little Jemma was happily running around chasing after the family dog, who was indeed called Biscuit, thanks to her little brother Leo insisting that had to be his name and wouldn't settle for anything else, so Biscuit their poor dog had become.

"JEMMA MELINDA WARD!" yelled Grant sternly from where he stood on the front step of his house, arms folded firmly across his chest.

"What?" asked Jemma, as she came to a stop in front of her father. "What'd I do now?"

"It's not what you DID do but more so what you DIDN'T do" replied Grant, quirking a brow at her.

"Huh?" said Jemma, scrunching up her nose in confusion.

"You're running around the garden chasing after Biscuit still wearing your school uniform" said Grant, as he stepped to the side and pointed to the inside of the house with his finger. "Get back inside and change before that dress gets all muddy due to you tripping up in the mud."

"But daddyyyyyyyyyy!" pouted Jemma.

"Now, Jemma!" said Grant sternly.

"But I don't wanna!" scowled Jemma, as she folded her arms across her chest and stomped her foot on the ground.

"Do as your father tells you Jemma!" scolded Skye to her pouting daughter, as she suddenly appeared beside her husband, cradling her 3 month baby son in her arms. "I just got done with the laundry 15 minutes ago. I have no intention of washing anything else today!"

"Gah!" said Jemma, still pouting, as she stormed past her parents into the house and flounced up the stairs to her bedroom to change out of her dress.

"I swear she gets her attitude off of you" said Grant, frowning down at his wife, before then leaning down with a smile as he graced her lips with a quick kiss.

"Of course she does! She's my double! And you're one to talk as you know fine well that Leo gets his stubbornness off of you!" said Skye, sticking her tongue out at her husband.

"Only we could have two kids that are literally the mini versions of us!" chuckled Grant. "God help our sanity when they are both teenagers!"

"I think we'll be fine as long as Jemma never comes home pregnant and Leo never comes home telling us he got some girl pregnant" said Skye absentmindedly, as she cooed over the tiny infant who was now stirring in her arms.

"Don't even joke about that" frowned Grant, sighing as he did so.

"Why? Because you'd want to buy a shotgun and shoot the guy responsible if it was Jemma?" laughed Skye.

Grant remained silent as he flashed her a _'what do you think?' _look.

"Trust me when I say that I'd help you" smiled Skye, as she leaned up on her tiptoes and placed a soft kiss upon her husband's now pouting lips. "I'm going to go and see if Jemma has changed out of her dress yet, as she probably hasn't. You should call Biscuit back inside and then put Leo down for his afternoon nap."

"Sure thing, babe, but first give me this little guy here for a cuddle" said Grant, as he reached for their baby son in her arms.

"You've got him until I return back from checking on Jemma. Then I want him back to cuddle myself" said Skye, as she handed their baby son to him, before leaving them alone to set off upstairs to their daughter's bedroom.

As Skye disappeared upstairs Grant slowly and carefully sat down on the front step of their porch, his son nestled contently in his arms who had his tiny right hand resting just above his head while his tiny left hand rested lightly across the blue pacifier he was suckling on. Staring down at his baby son Grant couldn't help but smile down at him, soon dipping his head and nuzzling his nose against his son's ever so tiny one lovingly. "I love you, Philip James Ward."

Grant couldn't help but smile even more at his baby son as he merely yawned and stretched out a little in his arms while doing so, looking utterly adorable the whole time. When it came to little Phil he was a combination of both of his parents, though Grant secretly swore he looked just that teeny tiny bit more like him, even if Skye never always agreed with him. "Dada..." he heard a somewhat sleepy sounding voice from behind, pulling him from his thoughts, as he turned around to see Leo standing behind him with his favourite blanket wrapped around his shoulders. "What's up lil' man?"

"I want story" answered Leo sleepily.

"You want me to read to you?" asked Grant with a smile, as Leo always loved it when he read to him more than anything, which he himself also enjoyed immensely, as it allowed him to bond with his son during naptimes and bedtime.

"Yesa" replied Leo simply, resting his head against his father's shoulder.

"Jemma is finally changed out of her dress but is now pouting in her room and won't come out! So I've just left her to pout in silence" sighed Skye exasperatedly, as she came down the stairs and stopped behind her husband, smiling down at their two sleepy sons. "I'll take Phil while you go and read Leo his naptime story shall I?"

"Sounds like a plan, sweetheart" smiled Grant, rising to his feet and passing Phil to Skye, who instantly cuddled him close to her chest and kissed his forehead tenderly.

"Story now dada!" demanded Leo, tugging at his father's jeans, arms outstretched and up towards him.

Grant just chuckled as he bent down and scooped his young son up into his arms, smiling as he wrapped his arms around his neck tightly and nestled his head into the crook of his neck. Wrapping his own arms around him tightly and protectively he remained stood in the doorway for a few moments in silence, as he just hugged and cuddled his son to him, rocking him from left to right in his arms as he did so, before then kissing him softly on his cheek and closing the front door once Biscuit had come bounding back inside.

* * *

"Boy do I really hate Ward!" said May, gritting her teeth and clenching her fists at her sides in frustration.

"What?! Why?! What has he possibly done to irritate you?!" exclaimed Fitz, brows furrowed.

"I hate him because he's making it practically impossible to hate him with how loving and attentive he is towards his adorable children!" sighed May.

"You hate him because he's making it impossible to hate him?" said Fitz, chuckling. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Well it does to me and that's all that matters" said May, a slight pout spreading across her lips, before she then replaced it with a small smile. "Little Jemma's middle name is Melinda. Damn you Skye and Ward for doing that!"

"I think it's sweet that they gave her your name as her middle, May" said Simmons, smiling. "They both go so well together. Jemma Melinda is a lovely, perfect combination."

"I agree it is" said May, failing to hide her smile though she really tried.

"Ward really is redeemed now, ain't he? And all he needed was a family of his own to achieve that" said Tripp, making them all turn to face him. "He's never really had a family that loved him before, right? Or one that ever showed they cared about him? We all did our best as a team and he did love us all deep down I think. But ultimately Skye was always the one he loved the most. And now because of her he has a proper family in her and their three kids. He has four people that no matter what will continue to honestly and truly need him, depend on him, dote on him, be there for him like he is for them, care about him and love him no matter what. That's all he ever wanted deep down and he's finally got that. I'm just sayin', ya know?"

"Who knew you were so deep, Tripp" smirked May.

"Like I said I was just sayin'!" said Tripp with a wink.

"I saw the baby" beamed Coulson at the four of them. "He is literally named after me. Philip James Coulson is who I am and he's Philip James Ward."

"Like I said last time we were here Skye will always need a Phil in her life" smiled May.

"And I'll always need a Skye in mine" said Coulson, as he jumped out of the car with no warning, his mind now completely made up, as he set off walking towards the house in front of him.

"Phil! Wait! What are you doing?!" yelled May, as she jumped out of the car after him, with FitzSimmons and Tripp hot on her heels.

"You were right, Mel. It's even harder for me to just leave this time. So you can all join me if you wish or you can stay behind in Lola..." said Coulson, trailing off momentarily, as he unlocked the gate in front of him and pushed it wide open, before then resuming to walk towards the house with only one thought left on his mind. "...but either way I'm going to reunite with my baby girl and meet my grandbabies in the process!"


	3. Long Time No See

**Sorry on the wait for the chapter guys! But I altered this chapter slightly by cutting it short and deciding to have the second part of it be chapter 4, which I'm going to add more too soon enough :D More chapters this way! :) Here's hoping ya'll enjoy this chapter! I just want to say that in regards to Grant I felt it only right he'd be a little on the wary side when met with the team again for this chapter (and the next so please bear with him...xD)**

**Also, I just want to say that I love how many of you adore this fic which was originally just a one shot. For as long as you continue to love it I'll keep adding to it since I'm really enjoying expanding it as you guys all keep inspiring me to do so ^.^**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. However, I do own my OC of Leo Ward.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Long Time No See**

Grant had just settled down on to the sofa in the living room with Leo to read him a naptime story, and all cuddled up to his chest, when he heard the doorbell ring. "Skye! Can you get the door? I'm just about to read Leo his naptime story!" he called out to his wife, but gained only silence in response. Sighing he placed his sons favourite book, _The Tales of Peter Rabbit &amp; Friends_, to the side while he rose to his feet with Leo in his arms and headed into the hallway to answer the front door. "Skye! Where are you?! Didn't you hear me?!"

"I'm upstairs, Grant! I'm trying to get Phil off for a nap too!" came Skye's voice from their baby son's nursery. "Whoever is at the front door you'll have to deal with them until I've put Phil down for his nap!" And at that he heard her shut the door to their son's nursery.

"Story dada" said Leo sleepily, tugging at the collar of his father's shirt, as he sucked away on his pacifier.

"Don't worry as dada is gonna read you your story as soon as he's seen who's at the front door, okay?" said Grant, ruffling his sons hair and making him laugh.

"Hurry!" said Leo a little impatiently.

Grant just chuckled at his son's impatience, a trait he'd inherited from his mother, as he reached out towards the front door and opened it with a smile across his face to greet who he assumed would be one of his neighbours from up the road.

But that day he'd thought wrong. Because he'd instead come face to face with the smiling face of his former boss, Philip Coulson, as well as the somewhat smirking face of his former teammate Melinda May. Glancing behind him he didn't fail to notice the last of his former teammates in Antoine "Tripp" Triplett who was furrowing his brows at him slightly, Jemma Simmons who was smiling warmly and Leo Fitz who was practically beaming with happiness.

"Hello, Ward" said Coulson, smiling. "Long time no see."

All Grant could do was simply stand in complete silence, as he stared back and forth between them with a wary look upon his face. He had no idea why any of them were suddenly standing on his front porch. His first and immediate instinct was to slam the door shut in their faces while he then quickly gathered up his wife and children to run and flee from the house before any of them caught up to them, therefore preventing them from doing the one thing he feared they'd come to do, which was take Skye and their children away from him. But he didn't do that, as he held on to the hope that if anything it would be the last thing either of them would attempt to put Skye through at least. Plus, the way Coulson was smiling at him, as well as the warm smile from Simmons and the beaming face from Fitz, made him relax just a little bit that they were there for a hopefully different reason to what he was currently imagining. However, their sudden reappearance in his life had instantly made him go straight into overprotective daddy mode mixed with his past agent mode.

"I think our mere presence has stunned him into silence" said May, still slightly smirking.

As he continued to look back and forth between them both warily he took one small step backwards into his house while wrapping his arms even tighter around his young son protectively. "What are you all doing here?"

"We came to see Skye. But just to see her and check up on her, okay?" said Coulson, his smile softening, as he noted how Ward suddenly stepped backwards, stiffening slightly, and then wrapped his arms around little Leo as protectively as he could. "Relax, Ward."

"Did you come here to take Skye and my children away from me?" asked Grant nervously.

"No. I swear we didn't. We know she's happy with you and that the two of you now have a family together" said Coulson, as he slowly stepped towards him. "I just want to see my baby girl. Please, Ward, just let me see her again."

"What about the others?" asked Grant tentatively.

"They came to see her too" answered Coulson, glancing back at the rest of his team. "FitzSimmons and Tripp miss their best friend and surrogate sister. And May-"

"I miss my baby girl too, because she's not just Coulson's" said May, cutting Coulson off midsentence as she set her eyes on Ward. "Don't make me incapacitate you to get to her, Ward."

"Melinda!" hissed Coulson, glaring at her, brows furrowed, as he wanted to relax Ward not make him more wary than he already was.

"It's alright, Coulson" said Grant, as he looked to him and then to May. "She's not going to incapacitate me while I'm holding my 2 year old son in my arms."

"Don't even think about it, Melinda" said Coulson, placing his hand over her mouth to silence her oncoming response. "I want you to shush. The past animosity you and Ward still have between you is to be set aside while we reunite with Skye, as she's the most important person right now. So, please, let's all just relax."

May simply glared at him as she pushed his hand away from her mouth and folded her arms across her chest indignantly.

"Come in" said Grant, nodding at his former boss in understanding, and also knowing that Skye would no doubt divorce him on the spot if he ever dared to turn their fellow teammates away, especially Coulson. "All of you."

"Thank you, Ward" smiled Coulson appreciatively, as he stepped into the house with May, Tripp, Fitz and Simmons following and closing the door behind them.

"I'll go and get Skye" said Grant, as he turned to head up the stairs. "She's going to have a heart attack when she sees you all."

"DAAAAAAADAAAAAA!" yelled Leo suddenly. "YOU FORGOT STORY!"

"No, I didn't. I just got distracted..." said Grant, trailing off, as he walked back down the stairs and headed in the direction of the living room to retrieve _The Tale of Peter Rabbit &amp; Friends_. "...you guys can all follow me into the living room too."

"God, I love little Leo!" said Fitz, beaming, as he more than happily followed Ward to the living room, with Simmons in hot pursuit.

"Before we follow him I have a rule for the two of you that you must abide no matter what. And that rule is while we are here you must both refrain from doing anything to Ward that will result in him being incapacitated in any way, shape or form, despite past grievances you have with him because it will jeopardize our happy reunion with Skye otherwise" said Coulson, his voice stern, as he looked from May to Tripp. "Failure to abide by this one rule will result in me taking your S.H.I.E.L.D. badges away from you and placing you both on a disciplinary suspension for the next 6 months, because as the Director I can do that. Do I make myself clear, Agents May and Triplett?"

"Yes, Director, Sir" replied Tripp, nodding yet sighing.

"Crystal clear" replied May with a slight eye roll.

"Good" said Coulson, as he set off for the living room with the two of them following close behind him. "I'll be watching you both very carefully."

* * *

Once Grant had retrieved his sons naptime book he'd smiled and nodded at his former teammates before quickly departing the living room to bound up the stairs in search of his wife. "Skye!" he called out to her when he saw her emerge from their baby son's nursery.

"Shhh!" whispered Skye, placing a finger over her lips. "Phil just dozed off."

"Sorry" whispered Grant, as he approached her. "But I need you to come downstairs with me right now."

"No what you need to do is go and put our 2 year old son to bed!" whispered Skye, indicating to their now sleeping son in his arms. "He's passed out on your shoulder, Grant."

"I'm going to do that now. Come with me and then we'll go downstairs together, yeah?" whispered Grant, as he took her hand in his and tugged her towards Leo's bedroom.

"Why can't I go downstairs by myself?" asked Skye curiously. "Who was at the front door?"

"You'll see when we go down in a minute" replied Grant, as he gently placed Leo in his bed, pulling the covers over him and placing a soft, lingering kiss to his forehead.

"Babe, are you alright?" asked Skye. "You're acting like that's the final kiss you'll ever give him."

"I'm fine, sweetheart" smiled Grant, as he walked over to her, dipping his head when close enough to kiss her tenderly. "Where's Jemma?"

"She's in her bedroom playing with her dolls" said Skye, smiling up at her husband. "She's still slightly pouting at having to change her clothes."

Grant just chuckled at that, as he took her hand in his and led her from their son's bedroom to head downstairs. "Let's hope she stays there for awhile."

"You know she probably won't" said Skye, as she allowed him to tug her downstairs. "She'll want a snack soon enough and probably when the boys are both awake again."

Grant just nodded and smiled at her as he came to a stop outside of their living room door. "Ready?"

"Ready for what?" asked Skye, furrowing her brows at him. "I've been in our living room many times before, Grant. There's nothing in there I haven't seen before."

"If you say so, sweetheart" smiled Grant a little deviously. "Don't die from a heart attack, okay?"

"Okaaaaay..." said Skye, completely puzzled now, as she turned away from him with a shake of her head, pushing open the door to their living room and stepping inside.

Taking a deep breath Grant quickly followed after her as he re-entered the living room, nearly barrelling right into Skye's back who had come to a complete stop in the middle of the living room. Smiling at his wife he reached out and placed a comforting hand on the small of her back, as he rubbed a motion of soothing circles around and around with his thumb.

As she'd entered the living room Skye had felt like all of the air had been sucked from her entire body the moment she'd come face to face with the smiling and loving faces of her former teammates and friends. The five people that had fast become her family, and who she'd had no other choice but to leave behind over 5 years ago now. Five people she honestly thought she would never see again, yet here they all were standing before her with smiles across their faces in her living room. "I've got to be dreaming. You aren't really here. Are you?" she managed to whisper out, as air slowly started to return to her lungs.

"You're not dreaming, baby girl..." said Coulson, smiling the biggest smile he'd ever smiled in his life at finally seeing Skye again, at finally seeing his _daughter _again. "...we're really here, Skye."

"And it only took you all _6 months_ to return..." said Skye, emphasizing on the 6 months, as she grinned at the confused looks across all of their faces, no doubt as to how she'd known they'd all been secretly watching from afar only 6 months prior. And then before either of them could even blink she'd dived across the room faster than a speeding bullet, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks, as she headed straight for her beloved A.C. "You've no idea how much I've missed you, Dad!"


	4. Family Reunions & Heartfelt Confessions

**Sorry about the wait on this chapter guys but there's a part of this that I was taking my time with in getting how I wanted it to be. It's the scene that takes place in the kitchen so you'll know what I mean when you reach it. It's one of those scenes I like to write where even I get emotional writing that I refuse to rush or it won't come out how I want it too. So, at long last, here's the next chapter and I hope you enjoy! :) Feel free to leave guesses towards a certain something after reading how this chapter ends... (correct guesses will earn you a cookie!) ;)**

**(Before ya'll ask then yes I promise you lil' Jemma, lil' Leo &amp; baby Phil will be making appearances again real soon because the three little Ward children are to play big parts in this story :D)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of th characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. **

* * *

**Chapter 4: Family Reunions &amp; Heartfelt Confessions**

"I can't believe you are really here!" said Skye, as she landed in the outstretched arms of her beloved A.C. and the one man she would always view as her father. "I never thought I would ever see you again but I always prayed that I would somehow!"

"Once I knew where you were there was no way I could stay away from you forever, baby girl" said Coulson, as he wrapped his arms as tightly as he could around Skye and hugged her to him. "I had to see you. I had to make sure you were okay and that you were happy."

"But you knew that I was happy" said Skye, pulling away from him to look up at him, as she wiped away the tears that were now slowly falling down her cheeks. "You've known for a little over 6 months now how I was."

"What are you talking about, Skye?" asked Coulson, furrowing his brows a little, as he held on to Skye's hands tightly in his own, still not wanting to let her go completely.

"Come on, Dad, you know exactly what I'm talking about" smiled Skye, as she glanced from him to the rest of her friends and family. "I saw you all drive away in Lola a little over 6 months ago now. You'd been watching me and Grant with our children under the cover of the old oak tree. It wasn't until I was walking back into the house that I heard Lola driving away and when I looked back I saw you all. Ever since that day I've hoped you'd all return again someday. And now you finally have."

"I'm so sorry, Skye" said Coulson sadly. "I wanted to stay so badly. We all did. But we all decided that it was for the best if we didn't and left you all to continue living your lives in peace."

"Whoa, hey, wait a minute!" exclaimed Grant suddenly, making everyone all turn to face him. "You guys were all spying on us and our children over 6 months ago and I'm only just finding this out now?!"

"We weren't spying on you, Ward" said May, fixing her eyes firmly upon him while folding her arms across her chest indignantly. "We were simply checking up on you."

"There isn't a difference and you know it" said Grant, gritting his teeth and scowling at her slightly.

"All we were doing was making sure that Skye was okay after all of these years" said Tripp from where he stood behind May, soon fixing his own eyes firmly upon Grant. "As well as safe."

"You don't think I can keep my own wife safe? Or even my children?" asked Grant, frowning at them both. "Don't you trust me?"

"You don't really want me to answer that, Ward..." answered May, trailing off.

"...what she said" continued Tripp.

"They say seeing is believing" said Grant, never once taking his eyes off of them as he spoke. "You've finally seen that I can keep my family safe so start believing it!"

"Grant! Stop it, okay?!" said Skye, raising her voice just a little but not too loudly so the children upstairs didn't hear her. "Let's not turn what should be a happy reunion into a fight, alright?!"

"They started it, Skye" huffed Grant, as he clenched his fists into tight balls at his sides.

"And I'm finishing it" said Skye, as she glared at him before then doing the same towards May and Tripp. "Quit it. All three of you. I mean it."

"Skye is right" said Coulson, sighing. "We came here to reunite with them and what I'd hoped would be happily. So let's all just try to do that, okay?"

"You guys didn't come here to reunite with me so don't even bother trying to make me believe that you did" said Grant, turning to face his former boss. "You all came here for Skye and Skye only."

"We didn't just come here to see Skye" said Fitz, as he slowly stepped a little closer towards Grant. "At least I didn't. I can't honestly speak for the others but believe me when I say that I have missed you, Ward."

As Fitz spoke and slowly stepped a little closer to him Grant simply remained silent and as still as a statue. He failed to stop his breath from hitching or the small lump in his throat that he swallowed. Casting his eyes from Fitz to Simmons, who had been standing behind him the whole time, he saw her flash him a small yet warm smile. And then without any warning whatsoever he turned away from everyone and stalked off into the kitchen to the right of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Alright then..." said Tripp, looking rather confused.

"I see his social skills haven't improved over the years" said May, rolling her eyes.

"What did I say wrong?" asked Fitz, looking to Skye.

"You didn't say anything wrong, Fitz" smiled Skye, as she walked over to him and enveloped him in a hug. "Out of everyone here seeing you and Simmons will be hardest on him of all."

"I don't understand why though. Isn't he happy to see me and Fitz?" asked Simmons, as she walked over to Skye and stole her from Fitz's arms for her own hug.

"I think you both should go and talk to him privately" replied Skye, as she hugged her back tightly before pulling away. "It'll be good for all 3 of you. Trust me on that."

"What if he doesn't want to talk to us and kicks us out of the, erm, was that a kitchen or did he just walk into a cupboard?" asked Fitz, quirking a brow.

"No, Fitz, my husband did not just walk into a cupboard!" giggled Skye. "He walked into the kitchen. But he won't kick you out. Go and talk to him, okay?"

"Alright, we'll give it a whirl!" smiled Simmons, turning to Fitz. "Ready?"

"As ready as can be" nodded Fitz, smiling at Skye as he passed her and headed towards the kitchen with Simmons.

Upon approaching the kitchen door Simmons opened it slowly and tentatively peeked her head around the corner, before quietly slipping inside with Fitz following, the door closing shut behind them.

"I'm really sorry about Grant" said Skye to the others once FitzSimmons had disappeared into the kitchen. "Please don't hate him."

"I don't hate him, Skye" said Coulson, smiling. "I'll make sure he knows that later. I promise you."

"Thank you" said Skye, smiling back at him, before then turning to face May and Tripp. "He's just wary of you guys. I know him better than any of you so I know that right now all he'll currently be thinking every time he looks at the two of you as well as A.C. is that you've come here to take him away from me and our children. It's something he's feared one day happening for over 5 years. Don't hold it against him, okay?"

"We haven't come here to take him away from you or your children, baby girl" said May, smiling, as she approached Skye and cupped her face gently in the palm of her hands. "I'll honestly admit that I still have my past issues and apprehension when it comes to Ward but I would never take him away from you or your children. And if I'm honest again then it's more so because I wouldn't ever dream of taking you away from the man that you love or your three young children that I've seen with my own eyes love their father very much."

"They do, they really do. They absolutely adore him. He dotes on them. Our children are his whole entire world. He's an amazing father. He's better than I'd ever imagined he would be" said Skye, still smiling, as she then leaned forward and pulled the woman she would always view as her mother into her arms for a hug, whether she wanted one or not. "I've missed you so much, Mom."

"I've missed you calling me that so much, Skye" said May, failing to stop the tears now starting to form behind her eyes, as she happily hugged her back. "You were always like a daughter to me and no matter what you always will be."

"You'll always be my mother, May, just like A.C. will always be my father" said Skye, pulling back to smile at the two of them. "We don't have to be blood to be family."

"Damn straight we don't, girl!" said Tripp, as he walked over to her with a wide smile across his face, promptly tugging her straight into his arms when he reached her. "I've always viewed you as like a baby sister to me and you always will be as far as I'm concerned."

"You're one of the best big brothers that a girl could ever ask for, Tripp" beamed Skye brightly, as she pulled back to look at him. "I missed you so much. I've missed all of you. I'm so happy that you're all finally here. I think I'm gonna cry."

"We really are here, Skye" smiled Coulson, placing a reassuring arm around her shoulders. "We're not going anywhere."

"We're staying this time" said May, as she too placed a comforting arm around Skye's shoulders. "We've all got so much catching up to do."

"And regardless of everything me and May have gotta threaten to kick Ward's butt if he ever hurts you one day" smirked Tripp, noting May's smile of agreement towards him. "Even if we never actually follow through on that threat."

"Because if you ever do I'll follow through on my own threat towards you that I made before" said Coulson, frowning at them.

"Okay, okay, enough about threats you guys!" laughed Skye. "Tell me what you've all been up to lately! Tell me how S.H.I.E.L.D. is once again striving under the control of the ever amazing Director Coulson!"

"Before we tell you that I think there's something else you'd enjoy hearing a lot more first" smiled Coulson cryptically.

"What would that be?" asked Skye curiously.

"Do you want to tell her Mel or should I?" asked Coulson, as he flashed a tiny wink in May's direction.

"Oooh this should be fun!" chuckled Tripp, rubbing his hands together gleefully while glancing back and forth at everyone with a knowing smile.

"Tell me what?!" asked Skye, excitement already clearly evident in her tone, even though she had no clue what she should even be excited over.

"Well, you see the thing is, baby girl..." said May, smiling, placing her left hand just under her chin as she did so, while promptly trailing off from finishing her sentence.

* * *

_Meanwhile, over in the kitchen..._

For the longest time upon entering the kitchen Grant leaned against the long dining table in the middle of the room in complete silence, his palms resting against the table, while he tried his best to steady his now uneven breathing. He'd heard FitzSimmons enter the kitchen not long after he had, but they too remained silent behind him. He knew they were giving him space while allowing him to be the first to speak. But at first he couldn't. Because no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't form any coherent words that made any sense.

Grant had a million different thoughts currently going through his head. And the one that was currently tearing him apart inside the most was the one that had continued to do so for the past 5 years. He now finally had the chance to say aloud to the two of them what he'd always wanted them to know, but had never gotten the chance to tell them, due to running just as Skye had told him to all of those years ago before he could be arrested and she'd keep him hidden from everyone.

But now they were finally here in his kitchen 5 years later...and this was his chance to finally get off his chest what he'd constantly thought about ever since that fateful day.

"It was meant to float..." said Grant after what seemed like forever, his breath hitching as his chest constricted tightly. "...that damn pod was meant to float."

Upon finally hearing their friend speak Fitz and Simmons couldn't help but cast a sad look between each other. It hadn't been exactly what they'd been expecting to hear, though they had been hoping to hear it at one point.

"Why didn't it float?" asked Grant aloud, still leaning against the table and not looking at either of them.

"It was meant to float" said Fitz, as he slowly approached him and came to a halt on his left side, glancing at him. "You were right. Because it was meant to float."

"But it's not your fault that it didn't, Ward" said Simmons, as she came to a halt on his right side, also glancing towards him. "So don't blame yourself."

"How can I not blame myself for what I did to the two of you?" said Grant, finally glancing up and looking at them both, his unshed tears clearly visible. "I tossed the both of you via a pod into the middle of the ocean! I could have killed you both!"

"But you didn't, Ward!" said Simmons, placing a comforting arm around his shoulders. "We're here and we're alive."

"And it's because of you that we're alive, Ward" said Fitz, as he placed his right hand lightly atop his back and patted it comfortingly. "You did what you had to do to save us. You got us off the plane before we ended up with bullets in us instead!"

"What makes the two of you so sure that I wasn't simply trying to kill you when I ejected you off the plane via the pod into the ocean?" asked Grant, quirking a brow at them.

"Because I've always believed in you, Ward" said Fitz, smiling. "And I always will."

"So have I" smiled Simmons. "Plus, if you'd really intended to kill us that day then you would never have chosen the words _'It was meant to float...that damn pod was meant to float' _just before. You saved us, Ward."

"But I could've killed you too" said Grant, more tears he still refused to let fall build up behind his eyes. "It didn't dawn on me until it was too late. And then when Skye finally joined up with me months after everything was over she told me about what happened to the two of you in that pod. I did that. I was responsible for Fitz nearly dying. I was responsible for believing that damn pod would actually float!"

"No! You weren't!" said Fitz, twisting Grant's face around to look at him. "Just like me and Jems you believed that it was meant to float. It was designed to float, Ward! You have to stop beating yourself up about this."

"It may have been designed to float but then the Titanic was also designed to be unsinkable and look what happened there" sighed Grant.

"The Titanic hit an iceberg which I imagine it's manufacturers and builders had not anticipated happening at the time it was being designed and later built so..." said Simmons, shrugging while trailing off.

"Therefore it wasn't the Titanic's fault that it sunk" continued Fitz. "Just like it wasn't your fault that the pod didn't float."

"I should have got you off that damn plane a different way" said Grant, half smiling at their attempts to make him feel better. "There's always another way if you stop long enough to think about all the options you have at first."

"You had none because the plane was in the air at the time. If you hadn't of done what you did then you would no doubt have refused to shoot us so Garrett would have had one of his other soldiers do it for him" said Simmons.

"Or he would have done it himself" added Fitz.

"Sometimes I think I should have tried harder to get the two of you to open the door and let me inside" said Grant, smiling a faint smile at them both. "Then we could have sunk to the bottom of the ocean together."

"Slight problem there though, since someone has to be on the outside near the control panel to release the pod so..." said Fitz, trailing off.

"But it's a nice thought nonetheless" said Simmons, smiling. "It would have been far more dangerous with three of us in the pod though, as there would have been considerably less air, effectively killing us all quicker."

"Even after 5 years the two of you still have a logical answer for everything don't you?" chuckled Grant, shaking his head.

"Of course we do!" they chorused together.

"Regardless of me trying to save you both in my own messed up way I still don't deserve your forgiveness" said Grant, as he looked away from them both sadly.

"Yes you do, Ward" said Simmons sincerely. "Because you did save us."

"You're a hero" said Fitz, also sincerely, smiling. "Always."

"I think it's time to be completely honest with you both right now" said Grant, a few lone tears finally managing to escape down his cheeks. "I really have missed you guys. So, so much. And I'm really glad you're here."

"We're happy to finally be here and to finally get the chance to properly reunite with you" said Simmons, as she slowly started to cry. "I missed you too."

"I definitely missed you" said Fitz, practically choking on the words, since he was the one out of the three currently trying his best to not cry, but failing. "I've always believed in you, Ward, and I always will."

All Grant could now currently do was smile like an idiot back and forth at the two of them. And then without even needing to think about it he'd reached out towards them and with one swift movement had pulled them both into his arms for a hug, squeezing their shoulders tightly to be completely satisfied that they were indeed real and in his arms, as he never wanted to let them go again. He'd truly missed them and he was no longer afraid to admit that to himself, them or anyone else. He'd always cared about them. He'd always viewed them as his friends. And if that was still a weakness of his after all of these years then it was a weakness he never, ever wanted to let go of for as long as he lived.

As soon as Grant had pulled them both into his arms they'd both hugged him back just as tightly, clinging to him as if their whole lives depended on it, because they had honestly, truly missed him, and even if they tried they could never blame him for doing what he'd done. He'd saved them. He'd believed just like them that the stupid pod was meant to float. And they believed him. Because he was their friend and they'd always had faith in him. They would for the rest of their lives and no one could stop them.

And then before either of them could speak again they were suddenly startled by a rather excited and extremely high pitched squeal coming from the direction of the living room.

"That sounded like my wife" said Grant, furrowing his brows. "What's even going on in there?"

"Oh! Coulson and May have totally told her!" said Simmons, squealing herself a little.

"Told her what?" asked Grant curiously.

"Why don't you follow us back into the living room and find out?" grinned Fitz.

"It'll be worth it" smiled Simmons. "Trust me."

"At least to see how happy it'll have made Skye anyway" smiled Fitz.

The next thing Grant was suddenly aware of was being tugged back in the direction of the living room by the two of them to see what all the excitement was currently about.


	5. Surprises & Insecurities

**I enjoyed writing every single part of this chapter so much, especially the ending, to which I will honestly admit I teared up a little bit at writing. Perhaps some of you reading it will too. :') Here's hoping you enjoy it at least! ^.^ **

**Now just sit tight the best that you can until next time guys while I get to writing out the next chapter that I just know is going to make me tear up writing even more than this one did xD**

**Also... *places a plate of cookies out for all of the people that guessed what Coulson &amp; May's surprise for Skye was* ^.^**

**To the guest that asked me a question about Grant &amp; May ~ The answer is no May never got to Grant in this to fracture his larynx due to in this AU he was the one that killed Garrett to protect Skye who then let him run before May or anyone ever got to him. I change things that I don't like. And I didn't like that so... xD I hope that answered your question. :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. However, I do own my OC's of Jemma Ward &amp; Philip "Phil" Ward.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Surprises &amp; Insecurities**

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" squealed Skye excitedly over and over again, as she hugged both Coulson and May tightly. "I'm so happy for you guys I could cry!"

"I can barely breathe, Skye!" gasped Coulson, as Skye was practically squeezing the life right out of him.

"I can also barely breathe" said May, as she did her best to ease Skye's tight grip around her. "Since when did you get so strong?!"

"You can both blame Grant for making me as strong as I am" said Skye, as she finally released them and pulled back with a smile. "Even when on the run together he continued to train me in combat and everything. And then even more so after our children were born."

"I continued to train you so you would never forget how to protect yourself along with our children if I ever failed too" said Grant, as he walked out of the kitchen and back into the living room towards Skye with FitzSimmons trailing behind him.

"I wasn't complaining, just simply explaining" smiled Skye at her husband, as she slipped an arm around his side when he got closer. "Did you and FitzSimmons talk or not?"

"Yeah, we talked" said Grant, smiling a soft smile at his wife. "Everything's good. Don't worry. Now, how about you tell me why you were squealing so loudly?"

At the mere mention of reminding Skye why she had been squealing just instantly made her squeal loudly once more, due to yet even more excitement taking over her. "A.C. totally popped the question to May! They're engaged, Grant! My parents are getting married!"

"You're getting married?" asked Grant a little shocked, but not at all too surprised, as he turned to face both Coulson and May. "I guess congratulations are in order."

"Thank you, Ward" said Coulson, smiling. "And yes we're finally getting married."

"To be completely honest with you I'm surprised you're not already married" said Grant, chuckling softly. "Did it really take you 5 years to propose?"

"That's exactly what I said too" laughed Skye.

"No, it didn't take me 5 years to propose" replied Coulson with a sigh, as he then turned to face May. "It took Melinda over 5 years to simply say yes."

"Third time's the charm, right?" smirked May.

"He proposed to you 3 times before you said yes? How come?" asked Grant curiously, as he faced May.

"Because I've never really believed in marriage. It's only a piece of paper after all. You don't need to get married to be happy" replied May, as she too faced him. "But I guess after 5 years I've changed my mind a little bit. I also know Phil better than anyone and because of that I know he would never stop asking me."

"I love you too, Mel" said Coulson with a small shake of his head, yet flashing her a smile and being awarded one back in the process.

"Oh my god you guys are like the cutest parents ever!" squealed Skye loudly once more, as she pulled them both back into her arms for another tight hug. "I'm happy it took mom this long to say yes because that now means that I get to witness you guys getting married!"

Upon hearing Skye say that Grant was about to voice his opinion on how that would even be possible for them to come out of hiding to be a part of Coulson and May's upcoming wedding but instead immediately found himself stopped from doing so when the living room door suddenly flung open to reveal his and Skye's 4 year old daughter Jemma.

"MUMMY! I HEARD YOU SCREAMING!" yelled Jemma, as she ran towards her mother like a rocket.

"Oh, sweetie! Mummy wasn't screaming! She was just squealing!" laughed Skye, as she turned away from hugging Coulson and May to scoop her young daughter up into her arms.

"What's the difference? Both are loud!" said Jemma, as she wrapped her arms around her mother and hugged her tightly. "I thought you might have fallen over or somethin'!"

"And you came to check that I hadn't?" smiled Skye, as she ran a soothing hand up and down her daughter's back. "You little sweetheart you!"

Jemma simply pulled back from hugging her mother and smiled at her, as she then glanced over towards the others in the room. "Who are all of these people, mummy?"

"Now that's a very good question" said Skye, biting down on her bottom lip, as she glanced away to see Coulson and May were now smiling wide smiles at her daughter, while FitzSimmons and Tripp were all slowly making their way closer towards them with smiles of their own.

"Why are they all smiling at me?" whispered Jemma in her mother's ear as quietly as she could.

Skye couldn't help but let out a small laugh at hearing that. "I imagine they are all smiling at you because they are just dying to be properly introduced to you, sweetie. Would you like that too?"

"Okies!" nodded Jemma, as she glanced back and forth between her mother and the five people who were still complete strangers to her.

"Okay then. Good!" smiled Skye happily. "Then let's get you properly introduced."

"Hey! Wait a minute!" yelled Grant, as he tugged Skye away from everyone into the corner and whispered into her ear. "I don't think this is a good idea, Skye. We need to talk about this before we introduce our children to them because once we do there's no going back."

"What do you mean by there's no going back?" asked Skye, as she frowned up at her husband. "You know as well as I do that they'll all want to meet our children, Grant, and I want them to meet them too."

"I know you do. And I understand, Skye. But until we talk about this properly and how we're going to do it exactly then they aren't meeting our children" said Grant sternly, as he reached out for his daughter and scooped her from his wife's arms and into his own.

"What the hell are you doing, Grant?! Give me our daughter back now!" hissed Skye angrily, as she reached for her daughter only to have her husband turn and walk away from her. "GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW, GRANT DOUGLAS WARD!"

"I'm sorry, Skye, but it's not happening" said Grant, as he avoided looking at the others knowing fine well they'd be either glaring at him or staring at him confusedly. Sighing to himself he then walked out of the living room with his daughter in his arms and closed the door behind him.

"Well that went well..." commented Tripp, rolling his eyes as he did so.

"I honestly don't know why he just did that" said Skye, as she flashed them all an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry. I wanted you guys to meet her but he's just stubborn like he's always been."

"It's okay, Skye" said Coulson, smiling at her while trying his best to mask his disappointment at coming so close to meeting the little girl he already viewed as his granddaughter. "Ward was right. We should all probably talk about this before we meet them."

"What is there to even talk about? My children are yours and May's grandchildren" said Skye, smiling at them, as she then glanced back and forth between FitzSimmons and Tripp. "Fitz and Tripp are their uncles and Jemma is their aunt. There's nothing to talk about. You guys are all their family just as much as you're mine."

"You're husband doesn't seem to agree with you on that" said May, resisting the urge the best that she could not to roll her eyes like Tripp had done just before.

"Trust me when I say that I'll make him" said Skye through gritted teeth. "Give me a few minutes, okay? I'll go find him and I'll see what his problem is with you meeting the kids."

"I don't have a problem with any of them meeting the kids" said Grant, as he suddenly walked back into the room, minus Jemma, and closed the door behind him.

"I find that hard to believe, Grant" said Skye crossly, as she folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. "Especially since you returned without our daughter!"

"I only sent her back up to her bedroom after telling her that mummy and daddy need to have a grown up conversation and then she could come back down" said Grant, as he came to stand beside his wife and in front of the others.

"Oh like she isn't old enough or smart enough to know that's just code for mummy and daddy are going to have a fight!" said Skye exasperatedly.

"We're not going to fight" sighed Grant. "Mainly because I don't think I'd come out of fighting with you alive in front of Coulson, May and Tripp."

"You got that right" said May and Tripp in unison, both of them now firmly focused on him.

"Everyone just cool it, okay?" said Coulson, pinching the bridge of his nose in slight frustration, before he then looked up towards Grant. "Why don't you try to explain to us what is on your mind exactly when it comes to being a little reluctant to us all meeting your children, Ward?"

"I mean it when I say that I honestly want you all to meet them, especially since you'll know by now what we named our children and who we named them after, so if anything you should all be allowed to meet your little namesakes" said Grant, as he looked back and forth between everyone including Skye. "But I just think we should talk about how we're going to introduce you all to them before we do."

"We're listening, Ward" nodded Coulson in understanding.

"I heard what Skye said before I walked back into the room about how you're pretty much grandparents, uncles and an aunt to our children" said Grant, as he started to explain to them all the best that he could. "But I'm wary of introducing you all to them as such. Jemma and Leo are only little and they will get attached to all of you very easily. They've always wanted grandparents. So to finally get them will make them really happy. But for how long do you all plan on sticking around? After today what even happens next? Are you all going to continue coming out to visit us whenever you can or is this the first and the last visit we'll get from you all? Because if it is then I won't introduce my children to you just to see them get attached and then lose you all not long after."

"I never thought about it like that before" said Fitz, as he looked up at Grant a little sadly. "I'll admit that I want the chance to be an uncle to your children pretty badly. But not at the price of getting their hopes up that I'll be back again one day when I might not be."

"I assure you, Ward, that this isn't just a one off visit" said Coulson with a reassuring smile at Grant. "At least it isn't for me. I couldn't walk away and never return again now even if I tried. I need Skye to be a part of my life again. And that includes you and the children that you both have together. I will do anything to once again have you all a part of my life as well as the rest of the team if that's what they all want too."

"It is, Sir" chorused FitzSimmons in unison with smiles across their faces.

"I happen to agree with everything Phil said too, despite the past issues that me and you have with each other" said May with a blink and you'll miss it smile at Grant. "For Skye and the children I can move past everything regarding the past."

"Same applies to me too" said Tripp, nodding. "That and I refuse to be left outta the family. As far as I'm concerned it's more than big enough for the both of us."

"We'd never leave you out of the family, Tripp" smiled Skye from where she stood next to Grant, now squeezing his arm soothingly. "You've been a part of our rather dysfunctional family since the day we all met you and you always will be."

"Thank you, Skye" beamed Tripp. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"You have my word, Ward, that we all promise to do our best to continue being a part of your lives while being the best grandparents, uncles and aunt that we all possibly can be if given the chance" smiled Coulson.

"Do I also have your word that no one will ever try to take my children away from me? Because I can't lose my children. I love them all and I need them in my life no matter what. I don't want you or anyone else to ever come and take them away from me" said Grant, swallowing the nervous lump that had formed in his throat, as he then turned to Skye and pulled her into his arms protectively. "And that applies to Skye too. I nearly lost her once before. I don't ever want to come close to nearly losing her a second time."

"I would never let anyone take me away from you without a fight first and not even then" said Skye, as she leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed her husband softly on his lips. "The same goes for our children."

"As the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. I am the only person that has the authority to make any attempts to try and take you away from Skye and your children, Ward" said Coulson, regaining his attention as well as everyone else's in the room. "I give the both of you my word that I will never do that and I will always make sure that no one else ever dares to try."

"I also give you both my word that as Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. I will do everything within my own power to always make sure you all remain safe and hidden" said May, her genuine smile now clearly evident for all to see. "Besides, if I didn't then I'm pretty sure the Director over there would knock me back down to simply an agent quicker than I could even blink."

"I definitely would" chuckled Coulson, as he winked at her.

"Thank you" said Grant, as he nodded and smiled at his former boss before turning to May and doing the same. "Both of you."

"We'll always protect our family, Ward" said Coulson, flashing him a warm smile. "Despite what you may think and despite what happened over 5 years ago now you're still a part of our family."

"And you always will be" added Fitz, also smiling.

"No matter what" chimed in Simmons.

"We'll always make sure of that" added May.

"Without a shadow of a doubt" piped up Tripp.

Grant honestly didn't know what to say to either one of them in that moment. He was at a complete loss for words at how they'd all seemed to willingly accept him as a part of their family once more. He was eternally grateful to them all for doing so, but deep down and no matter how hard he tried he still didn't truly believe that he deserved their forgiveness and acceptance. But regardless he slowly resigned himself to allowing to at least try and learn to believe that he deserved everything he currently had, because no matter what he never wanted to ever come close to losing his wife, his children and as they now all were once more, his friends.

And then before he could speak up again he was quickly stopped from doing so by the sudden loud crying of his baby son waking up from his nap coming from the baby monitor on the coffee table not far from them all. "And our peace is now shattered for the next few hours at least. I'll go and see to him."

"Are you sure?" asked Skye, smiling. "Because I don't mind going."

"No, it's fine, I've got him" said Grant, as he gave her a quick kiss and then headed out of the room. "I won't be too long."

"I want to thank every single one of you for what you said to him" said Skye as soon as Grant had left the room. "You managed to put his fears to rest so because of that thank you all."

"We meant every single word that we said, baby girl" smiled Coulson, as he placed his arm around her shoulder and hugged her to him.

"I know you did" said Skye, smiling up at the man she would always view as her father. "As soon as he comes back down we'll bring up you all meeting the kids again. He'll agree eventually. I know he will."

* * *

As Grant walked into his baby son's nursery the first thing he did was stride over towards the baby monitor in the far corner and turn the volume down on it so he could talk to his son without anyone downstairs overhearing him. Once the volume was turned down and he was positive no one downstairs could hear him he then walked over to the crib in the middle of the room and scooped his baby son up into his arms, where he then proceeded to rock him gently and cradle him to his chest, his cries soon subsiding completely.

"Hey there little man" smiled Grant, as he placed a tender, loving kiss atop his son's tiny forehead. "There's no need to cry anymore, okay? Daddy's got you now and he's not going anywhere. I'll never leave you or your older brother and sister. I promise you, Philip, that no matter what happens daddy will always be here for you and your siblings. The three of you as well as your mummy mean the absolute world to me and you always will." Smiling down at his baby son staring up at him with wide, curious eyes that were no doubt wondering what the hell he was even saying to him, Grant's heart all but melted, just like it always did whenever he held one of his children in his arms. "There are some people downstairs that are just dying to meet you. I'll bet one more so than any other. What do you say we go make that happen, huh?"

Dipping his head to place another soft kiss atop his son's forehead Grant then turned and walked out of the nursery with his son in his arms, as he slowly and carefully walked down the stairs like he always did when holding his baby. As he approached the living room door he breathed in deeply before slowly exhaling, as he then grasped the door handle in his hand tightly and stepped back into the living room. He was immediately met with everyone in the room turning to face him, before they then all slowly and apprehensively rose to their feet from the sofa and chairs that they'd been sitting in.

"So I was talking to this little guy upstairs and he agreed with me that there's someone in this room he'd quite like to meet" said Grant, smiling at everyone, as he then walked over towards Skye. "You know who I mean by that. Care to do the honours, sweetheart?"

"Yes, I would" said Skye, smiling through her tears that were now slowly starting to build and fall down her cheeks, as she then gently took her baby son from his father's arms. "Thank you, Grant."

"Anything for you, Skye" smiled Grant, kissing her softly on her lips before placing another soft kiss upon his son's forehead yet again.

Taking a somewhat shaky breath Skye then slowly moved away from her husband and made her way towards her father. She didn't fail to notice that he now had tears of his own building up behind his eyes that were threatening to fall at any second. "Hey, dad. I have someone here I'd like you to meet."

"I'd really like to meet him too, baby girl" said Coulson, smiling at his daughter, as he then settled his eyes upon the tiny baby boy in her arms who was now watching him intently.

"Philip James Coulson, I'd like you to officially meet your grandson, Philip James Ward..." smiled Skye, trailing off momentarily, as she gently placed her son in the outstretched arms of her father. "...I named him after you, because no matter what, I'll always need a Phil in my life."


	6. Phillip James Ward

**So, finally, here's the newest chapter guys! This chapter I've edited and decided to spread out across 3 chapters, as originally it had all the children in, but I think it'll be more fun to have the team meet them over separate chapters (which will be named after each of the Ward children so you know which one the chapter is focusing on) then it doesn't come across as rushed or too much in one go, plus the original chapter was pretty long. So, for now, enjoy! :) **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. However, I do own my OC's of Philip "Phil" Ward and Jemma Ward.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Philip James Ward**

"I knew I was right all along!" exclaimed May a little triumphantly, smiling at her fiancé standing next to her. "I told you that Skye will have named him after you because no matter what she'd always need a Phil in her life."

"I know, Mel. I remember what you said" smiled Coulson with tears in his eyes, as he smiled back and forth between his fiancée, daughter and grandson. "It means so much to have him named after me. So, so much. You really have no idea."

"I think it's safe to say that I have a pretty good idea" smiled Skye, as she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss upon her father's cheek. "You're welcome, dad. As soon as I knew I was having another boy I told Grant right away his name was going to be Philip James and he had absolutely no say in the matter."

"I agreed right away it was a perfect name for him and especially since I knew how much it truly meant to Skye to name him after you" said Grant, flashing his former boss a smile. "Not to mention I also learned a long time ago that you don't disagree with Skye on anything when she's pregnant and hormonal!"

"I'm no expert here or anything but I think that last part probably applies to every pregnant and hormonal woman out there!" chuckled Tripp, winking at Skye cheekily when she merely rolled her eyes at his remark.

"He's so tiny..." said Coulson, trailing off, as he smiled down in awe at the tiny baby boy that Skye had placed in his arms only a few short seconds ago. "..is he supposed to be this tiny?"

"He's only 3 months old, dad" smiled Skye, laughing softly. "He'll get bigger as he gets older."

"I'm holding him properly, right?" asked Coulson, looking up to Skye for confirmation, as he ever so gently and carefully cuddled his tiny grandson to his chest. "I've never held a baby before and I'm afraid I'll drop him!"

"You're doing just fine" smiled Skye, placing her hand on his arm and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry so much, okay? Back when I first had Jemma me and Grant used to think the exact same thing whenever we held her. You learn as you go along."

"That and you find out that it just starts coming naturally" smiled Grant from where he stood not far from behind Skye.

"Okay then" nodded Coulson, glancing back down at the baby in his arms, as he brought him a little closer to his chest to cuddle him even more. "I can't believe I'm holding one of my grandsons!"

"Neither can I" smiled Skye, a few stray tears escaping down her cheeks. "I've always wanted you to meet him. I'm so glad you finally are."

"Hey there" smiled Coulson warmly, as he held onto little Philip tightly with his right arm while waving down at him with his left hand, who was now looking up at him somewhat inquisitively. "I'm your grandpa Phil. Oh yes I am! And I'm very happy to meet you."

"He's actually doing the whole baby voice thing..." sighed May, shaking her head a little but smiling as she did.

"It can't be helped and you'll see soon enough when you get to hold him too, Mel" smirked Coulson at her, as he returned his attention back to his grandson and continued to coo over him. "Me and you share the same name. Did you know that? Oh yes we do! And Philip James is a good, strong name. Don't you ever let anyone tell you any differently, okay? It's one of the best names out there, Philip, and I'll make sure you always know that to be true."

"This is just utterly priceless!" smiled Skye through her tears, as she filmed the scene unfolding in front of her on her cell phone. "I think I'll film all of you meeting the kids so I can transfer all of the footage over to my laptop and make a video of it all for you to keep."

"Oh that's a lovely idea, Skye!" beamed Simmons. "I'm sure we'd all appreciate that very much."

"Definitely!" nodded Fitz. "Especially of me meeting my own little namesake!"

"You'll have to wait until he's woken up from his nap a little later on" said Grant, flashing his friend a smile. "If we wake him before he's got enough sleep he'll just be irritable and throw a tantrum because he'll still be tired."

"Aweh! He sounds adorable!" smiled Fitz. "I hope he likes monkeys! If not I'll soon get him into them."

"Oh, Fitz!" said Simmons, laughing softly.

"I'll bet we'll have a young son obsessed with monkeys by the end of the day" whispered Grant into Skye's ear, chuckling.

"Not to mention our youngest son will grow up adoring Captain America with a grandfather like my dad" giggled Skye, tilting her head to the side to grace her husband's cheek with a light kiss.

"Of course he's going to grow up a Cap fan!" said Coulson proudly, smiling at his baby grandson once more. "You're going to love Cap. I promise you that. He's really awesome and by far the best Avenger. I know him personally and maybe one day so will you. Would you like that, Philip? I'll bet you'd love that!"

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Skye. "Cap knows your alive now?! Does that mean all of The Avengers do as well?!"

"Girl you have missed SO much in the last 5 years!" chuckled Tripp, sticking his tongue out at her cheekily. "The Avengers have known about Coulson being alive since after you left to reunite with Ward. He kinda had to tell them due to being the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and all. And the best part of all? The whole team has met them! They really are awesome!"

"Oh my god are you serious?!" exclaimed Skye, pouting. "I can't believe I missed meeting The Avengers! That is so unfair!"

"We didn't tell them right away that Coulson was still alive" said May. "It was about 8 months, give or take, after you'd left the team to be with Ward."

"Ugh!" sighed Skye. "If only I'd known that all back then I would've waited a little bit longer before going on the run with Grant!"

"If you had waited that long then we probably wouldn't have had Jemma..." said Grant, trailing off, as he looked down to his wife with a small frown. "...because you fell pregnant with her about 3 months after we'd been on the run together. So back when The Avengers were informed of Coulson still being alive you would've then already been about 5 months pregnant with her."

"That's right! Because it didn't take you very long to knock me up after all!" smiled Skye, as she leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him tenderly. "In that case it's no great loss missing out on meeting The Avengers. I'd choose you and conceiving our children any day."

"Good" smiled Grant, as he kissed her back. "Because Jemma was the best little 'oops!' we ever made."

"Okay, so before we end up getting into the story of how any of my grandchildren were conceived, which will hopefully be never, as I don't need the visuals..." said May, rolling her eyes a little, before turning to face Coulson with her arms outstretched towards him. "...can I please have my turn now?"

"But I don't want to let him go!" said Coulson, cuddling his grandson even closer to his chest. "He's too cute to let go!"

"You can have him back when everyone else has held him too" said May, as she moved a little closer to him, her arms still outstretched.

"As you can see for yourself, Mel, he's more than happy to simply remain lying in the arms of his favourite grandpa!" grinned Coulson.

"You're his only grandpa, Philip" sighed May. "Now, let me have my turn."

"Fine..." grumbled Coulson under his breath, as he reluctantly handed baby Philip over to her as gently as he could. "Don't worry little Phil. We'll be reunited again really soon."

May merely released a small huff of frustration at his words, before casting her eyes downwards to the tiny baby boy in her arms. "I'll admit he's definitely cute. He's a mixture of you both that's for sure."

"Thanks, mom" smiled Skye, as she continued to film everything on her phone. "We think so too."

"I like to think he looks just a little bit more like me" smirked Grant.

"Don't all men wish their sons looked like them?" said May, quirking a brow at him, before averting her gaze back towards her grandson staring up at her with curious eyes.

"Leo is your double, sweetie, just like Jemma is mine" smiled Skye at her husband. "Phil looks like us both so don't go getting greedy now."

Grant merely chuckled at his wife before looking back over to where May stood holding his youngest son. He couldn't help but smirk at the fact he could hear her cooing over him in a baby voice as quietly as she could.

"Who's a cute little boy then, huh? Why you are! Yes you are! You're one of the cutest little baby boys I've ever seen!" cooed May ever so quietly, as she smiled down at little Philip in her arms who was smiling the smallest of smiles back up at her, obviously amused by her.

"Y'know you're not as quiet as you think you are, right?" whispered Tripp into May's ear, smirking.

"Shut up, Tripp" said May, scowling at him. "Just because I happen to have a baby in my arms doesn't mean I can't put you down in mere seconds."

"Alright, alright! Chillax!" chuckled Tripp.

"Now do you see how hard it is to not talk in a baby voice, Mel?" smiled Coulson, winking at her.

"You'll only ever witness me slipping up with my grandchildren" said May, smiling back at him. "Other people's children? Not a chance."

"Oh I think it's impossible not to coo over any baby!" said Simmons, as she approached May with a smile and her arms outstretched. "Can I have a little cuddle now?"

"Of course you can, Simmons. He's your nephew after all" said May, as she gently placed the baby into her open arms, albeit a little reluctantly due to the fact she'd been enjoying cuddling him.

"Oh look at him, Fitz! Isn't he just utterly precious?!" smiled Simmons, as she beamed down at her nephew and bounced him in her arms. "Hello, little Philip. I'm your auntie Jemma and I'm so happy to meet you! You ever so precious little guy you!"

"I have to agree, Jems, he is most certainly as precious as can be!" smiled Fitz, as he fawned over his little nephew in her arms when she took her place standing beside him again. "I'm your uncle Leo! And I'm going to do everything that I possibly can to make sure you grow up loving monkeys just as much as I do as well as your big brother and sister!"

"By the time this day is over and done with I'm going to be a complete and utter wreck over all of you meeting my children" said Skye, smiling brightly, as she now filmed FitzSimmons on her cell phone bonding with her baby son.

"I believe the best is yet to come, babe" said Grant, as he slipped his arms around her waist from behind and leaned his chin on her right shoulder, while smiling at his two friends in front of him taking it turns to hold his son. "Jemma is going to talk them all to death and Leo will no doubt try his best too as well!"

"Once we've all had a turn cuddling Philip do we get to meet Jemma next?" asked Fitz curiously, as he nuzzled his nose against Philip's cheek who he now held in his arms after finally managing to steal him from Simmons arms successfully.

"Oh I sure hope so as I'm dying to meet her next!" said Simmons with a smile, as she turned to face Skye and Grant. "She is after all named after me and I'm dying to know what she thinks of sharing her name with me!"

"I'll go upstairs in a few minutes and tell her she can come back down and meet all of you" smiled Grant. "You're going to love her. She takes completely after Skye."

"She really does too as she's exactly like I was at her age" beamed Skye proudly. "So if any of you have ever wondered what I was like as a 4 year old little girl then you'll find out for sure when you properly meet my daughter."

"Okay, so, I believe it's now my turn to hold the baby!" said Tripp, clapping his hands in Fitz's direction to get his attention and then indicating for him to hand Philip over. "C'mon now, Fitz, gimme the baby!"

"Okay, okay, Mr. Impatient!" laughed Fitz, as he carefully handed Philip over towards Tripp. "Easy, easy now."

"I know how to hold a baby, Fitz" chuckled Tripp, shaking his head, as he held Philip securely in his arms and smiled down at him. "Well aren't you a handsome little fella! I'm your uncle Antoine, but you can call me Tripp, y'know, as soon as you can talk and all that."

"Which is a long way away yet, Tripp" laughed Skye, now focusing her attention on filming Tripp interacting with her baby son.

"Yeah, I know" said Tripp without looking up at them, since he was firmly fixed on the tiny infant in his arms. "Here's to the first word outta his mouth being Tripp!"

"I don't think so!" laughed Skye, narrowing her eyes at him. "For once I want at least one of my children's first words to be mama and that's all that I ask for!"

"I take it Jemma and Leo's first words weren't mama then?" asked Coulson with a small chuckle.

"Nope!" replied Grant, popping the 'p' and grinning at everyone extremely proudly. "Both Jemma and Leo's first words were dada!"

"Which is why Philip's first word is going to be mama" said Skye, frowning at her husband.

"We'll see about that, sweetheart" smirked Grant. "It's not like we can control what his first word will be."

"Keep him around his grandfather over here and his first word is more than likely going to be Cap" commented May, already rolling her eyes at the thought.

"There's nothing wrong with that" smiled Coulson. "Especially since Fitz will probably try to encourage his first word to be monkey!"

"Oh dear god give me strength!" said Skye exasperatedly, as she buried her face into Grant's chest. "At this rate I'd rather his first word be dada over Cap or monkey!"

"You and me both, babe" chuckled Grant, as he wrapped his arms around her and placed a kiss to the top of her head.

"So, Tripp, I think you've had more than enough cuddles!" said Coulson, as he stepped towards the younger agent. "Can I please have my grandson back now?"

"Sure thing, boss" chuckled Tripp, as he placed Philip back into the outstretched arms of his grandfather. "You're going to fight everyone for the most cuddles aren't you?"

"You can bet that I am" smiled Coulson, as he cradled his grandson to his chest and immediately started talking to him in a baby voice again, not caring at all if sounded silly while doing so. "Did you miss me?! Did you?! Oh I'll bet you did miss me when everyone else was insisting on giving you loads of cuddles of their own! I missed cuddling you that's for sure. But don't worry because we're finally reunited again and this time I'm keeping a hold of you. Oh yes I am!"

"I swear to god that I'm going to have to hurt you if you're getting broody for a baby while holding him, Philip" said May, looking at him somewhat warily. "Because we are far too old to ever go down that path now."

"You're never too old, Mel, not really" said Coulson, as he glanced over at her with a wink. "Never say never."

But before May got to answer him again she found herself being cut off from doing so by the door to the living room slowly opening, as a tiny little head poked around the door.

"Can I come back downstairs now, daddy?" asked Jemma, stepping into the room slowly. "I wanna know who all of these people are! You let Philip meet them and he won't even know what's happening!"

"It's okay, Jemma, you can meet them all now" chuckled Grant at his daughter. "So why don't you come over here next to mummy and daddy and we'll introduce you to them, yeah?"

"Yay!" squealed Jemma, running over to stand in front of her mother and father, as she then jumped up and down excitedly while looking up at her mother. "Who am I meeting first, mummy?!"

"I think I know just the person" smiled Skye, bending down and picking her daughter up, while looking to Grant who smiled and nodded at her, before she then slowly began walking over towards Simmons. "Are you both ready to officially meet?"

"I'm more than ready to meet her" smiled Simmons, her breath hitching in her throat and her tears already threatening to fall.

"Yes, mummy" smiled Jemma, turning to glance at the woman standing before her. "Who is she?"

"Jemma Melinda Ward, I'd like you to officially meet Jemma Simmons..." said Skye, as she smiled at her daughter before turning to face Simmons once more. "...she's your auntie and the best one that you'll ever have."


	7. Jemma Melinda Ward

**Sorry for the delay on this chapter everyone! Here's hoping this chapter makes up for the wait :) After this one there's only one more introduction to go (but don't worry there's still a few more chapters to go after that). Hope ya'll enjoy and feel free to let me know what you think! :)**

**NOTE: To everyone that's enquired about Biscuit the dog reappearing then no worries as he'll indeed be back...xD Also, who likes the new cover photo for the time being?! I found it of Clark Gregg and I just figured it could pass as Coulson cuddling little Phil :D**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. However, I do own my OC's of Jemma Ward, Leo Ward &amp; Philip "Phil" Ward.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Jemma Melinda Ward**

"I have an auntie?" asked Jemma, wide eyed. "Since when?!"

"You've always had an auntie, sweetie" laughed Skye softly. "It's just she's never been able to visit you until now."

Jemma merely frowned at that explanation while turning back to face Simmons. "And your name is Jemma too?"

"Yes, that's right" nodded Simmons, smiling. "We share the same name me and you."

"I was named after a Jemma. My mummy told me that she was her bestest friend in the whole world" said Jemma, now smiling herself as she recounted what her mother had told her once about her first name. "Are you her? Are you the bestest Jemma?"

"I think I am..." replied Simmons, practically beaming, looking to Skye for silent confirmation who nodded at her. "...Yes. I am."

"Awesome!" said Jemma excitedly. "I always wanted to meet who I was named after! And you're my auntie too!"

"I'm so happy to finally be able to meet you too, Jemma" smiled Simmons, as she slowly stepped closer towards her little namesake. "I've always wanted a little niece and there isn't a more perfect one I'd rather have than you."

"I like you already just for that" smiled Jemma, as she held out her arms towards her new auntie. "Hug me?"

"Oh, I'd be honoured to hug you! You sweet little angel you!" beamed Simmons, as she reached out for Jemma and scooped her from Skye's arms and into her own, hugging her tightly and beaming even more when she wrapped her tiny arms around her neck and hugged her tightly back.

"Sweet little angel..." said Grant with a small snort. "...not always."

"Just like her mother then I imagine" chuckled Tripp, earning himself an eye roll from Skye which just made him chuckle even more.

"Well until I see otherwise she's the sweetest little angel I've ever seen!" said Simmons, still hugging little Jemma tightly to her chest.

"Don't believe them" whispered Jemma into her auntie's ear. "I'm an angel when I want to be."

"I'm sure you are" laughed Simmons, merely winking at Skye's curious furrowed brows at what her daughter had whispered to her.

"So what up with the other people?" asked Jemma curiously, as she pulled back from hugging her auntie and indicated to the others in the room.

"Well, sweetie, they're all related to you too" smiled Skye at her daughter. "They can all finally meet you along with your brothers so that's exactly why they are all here."

"You should introduce her to grandma next" whispered Grant into Skye's ear, nodding his head in May's direction. "She's named for her too after all."

"That's right she is! Thank you, love" smiled Skye, giving her husband a quick kiss, as she then beckoned for May to walk over to where she stood with Simmons and her daughter.

"So it's my turn now is it?" asked May, smiling a small smile, as she faced the little girl in front of her that Simmons still held onto tightly. "Hi, small one."

"I'm not the small one" said Jemma, settling her eyes onto May. "My brothers are smaller than me."

"You're still pretty small though" said May, smirking a little.

"Who are you?" asked Jemma curiously.

"She's who you get your middle name from, sweetie" smiled Skye. "Do you remember who that person is?"

"My grandma..." replied Jemma a little quietly, while looking from her mother to the woman standing before her. "...you're my grandma?"

"I am indeed" smiled May, stepping a little closer to her. "My name is Melinda and I've very happy to meet you, Jemma."

"My mummy told me that you were like a ninja and that you had a job that kept you away" said Jemma. "Are you still a ninja? And are you going to go away again?"

May sighed while casting her eyes at Skye to flash her a look that said _'A ninja? Really?!' _which simply earned her a smile and shoulder shrug in the process, as she then turned back to her young granddaughter with a smile. "In a way I guess I still am. But I'm not as busy anymore. I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I could stay or keep visiting you."

"I always wanted a grandma, like really bad, because all of my friends do and it wasn't fair!" sighed Jemma, soon smiling again. "They are going to be SO jealous of me when I tell them my ninja grandma is staying with me!"

"I knew I was going to really like you" laughed May, as she finally reached for her little granddaughter and settled her onto her left hip.

"Yay!" squealed Jemma, as she wrapped her arms tightly around her grandma, squeezing her as she did so.

"I approve of the tight little grip you've got" smiled May, as she shifted Jemma in her arms so her little legs wrapped around her waist while she wrapped her own arms around her securely.

"She's quite strong for a 4 year old" smiled Grant from where he stood by Skye's side. "Unlike Skye she actually likes spending time with me in the gym we've got out back."

"I don't know how he managed to get her into actually enjoying training but he did" said Skye, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "That's basically the only trait of hers she doesn't share with me."

"I approve of training her young" said May, smiling a small smile at Grant. "Perhaps I can teach her some moves of my own one day? There are moves I know that you don't."

"I'd love that!" squealed Jemma quite high pitched, as she pulled back to smile at May brightly.

"Me too" said May, smiling back at her.

"I don't see why not" chuckled Grant. "You've said it now and she won't forget so good luck with that."

"So I was wondering..." said Coulson, as he came to stand by May's side. "...is grandma done meeting her so grandpa can next?"

"Grandpa?!" exclaimed Jemma. "For reals?!"

"Yes, Jemma, for reals" laughed Skye, as she gently took her now sleeping baby son from her father's arms. "'l'll give him back once you've hugged your granddaughter."

"You better because I'm a little obsessed with cuddling little Phil now" chuckled Coulson softly, as he then turned to face Jemma. "So hey there, baby girl. I'm your grandpa Phil."

"What's your excuse for staying away so long?" giggled Jemma, as she suddenly dived from May's arms and right into Coulson's for a hug.

"I run the Ninja Academy that your grandma Mel works for" smiled Coulson, as he winked at May, Skye and Grant. "It's kept me just as busy as it has her. But as the boss I've finally decided it's time we both get some much needed time off and so here we both are."

"I wanna join this Ninja Academy when I'm older, kay?" said Jemma to her parents, before turning back to her grandpa to give him a hug and whisper into his ear. "You can help me convince them that I should."

"I'll do my best" chuckled Coulson, as he whispered back. "I promise."

Grant and Skye merely cast each other a tentative look, as they both knew that the secret Ninja Academy was really S.H.I.E.L.D., or when it came to academies then S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy.

"I can't believe I've now finally got not one but two baby girls in my life" sighed Coulson happily, a contented smile spreading across his face.

"You're a total softie at heart" laughed May, smiling at how adorable her fiancé looked happily hugging their granddaughter.

"Children have a habit of bringing out the inner softness in everyone" smiled Coulson. "Especially when they just so happen to be your grandchildren."

"Kay, so I've now got two grandparents and an auntie" smiled Jemma between the three of them, before turning her attention towards where Fitz and Tripp were standing. "So what's about them?"

"Maybe you can guess who they are" said Grant, smiling at his daughter. "You've met your aunt and grandparents so who could possibly be next?"

"Ummm..." said Jemma, as she scrunched up her face in thought. "...Uncles?"

"That's right, sweetheart" smiled Grant, motioning for Fitz and Tripp to come closer to where Coulson stood with Jemma still in his arms. "Ready to meet them next?"

"Yes!" nodded Jemma excitedly.

"Jemma, sweetheart, this is your uncle Leo..." said Grant, pointing to Fitz with a smile, as he then turned to Tripp and did the same. "...and this is your uncle Antoine."

"You guys have the same names as my oldest brother!" exclaimed Jemma. "You're who he's named after!"

"And we're very happy to have him named after us too" smiled Fitz proudly, as he reached for his niece and tugged her from Coulson's arms and into his own. "Think he'll notice when we meet him later?"

"He has a short attention span so don't get your hopes up" giggled Jemma, as she hugged him. "And he can't pronounce his middle name. He tries but he fails."

"You're brother is only 2 and a half, Jemma, so there are still some things that he can't quite pronounce as good as you can miss soon-to-be 5" said Skye, laughing at her father who was now prising her sleeping baby son from her arms and back into his own to cuddle once more.

"I can't help it" shrugged Coulson at his daughter's look towards him now cradling his grandson to his chest. "He's very cuddly."

"It's fine, dad" smiled Skye, placing a soft kiss upon his cheek. "You can cuddle him as much as you want."

"Do you think you your little brother will be able to say Tripp?" asked Tripp, as he smiled at Jemma and ruffled her hair, quite happy to let Fitz keep a hold of her until he handed her over to him for his hug. "Because that's what everyone calls me instead."

"It's pretty easy so I'd say so" nodded Jemma, as she gripped Tripp's shirt in her right hand and tugged him closer to her so she could hug him while her uncle Fitz kept a hold of her. "GROUP HUG!"

Tripp and Fitz simply shared a chuckle as they more than happily hugged their niece together between them, each gracing her cheeks with a soft kiss.

"This is like the BEST day ever!" beamed Jemma, giggling at the kisses to her cheeks from her uncle's. "My family just got bigger!"

"It sure did" smiled Skye, leaning into her husband's side contently. "We're all finally a family again."

"We sure are" smiled Grant, wrapping his arms around his wife's waist and resting his head atop her shoulder. "All we needed was time."

"We've all had more than enough time to let the past go" said Coulson, smiling, while rocking his grandson in his arms gently whenever he stirred. "And now we're here to stay."

"You're going to live with us?" asked Jemma.

"Ah, no, not quite" chuckled Coulson. "But we'll visit you often. I promise you that."

"And then maybe we can visit you!" smiled Jemma. "And I can see the Ninja Academy!"

"Perhaps in due time" said Coulson, flashing both Skye and Grant apologetic looks to their _'Look what you started!' _looks towards him. "There's plenty of time to plan out future visits. In the meantime we'll all just keep on visiting you."

"Okay then!" said Jemma happily. "I hope you come back again for my birthday party because I'm 5 soon!"

"We'd love too!" smiled Simmons at the thought, while approaching Fitz and Tripp to steal her niece from their arms, figuring if Coulson was going to constantly cuddle his little namesake then she was going too with hers as well. "Oh, that'd just be wonderful! When are you 5?"

"In 3 weeks!" answered Jemma with a smile, as she happily wrapped her arms around her aunt's neck. "You'll come won't you, Auntie Jemma?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, sweetie" smiled Jemma, kissing her cheek tenderly.

"We'll all be here" said May, her mouth curved up into a small smile. "Whatever it takes."

"We'd love it if you guys could make it" said Skye, glancing back and forth between everyone. "So you all better make sure you aren't all busy with secret ninja business 3 weeks from now."

"I'm the boss so I'll make sure that we aren't" smiled Coulson. "We'll all be here as we wouldn't miss little Jemma's birthday party for the world."

"It'll be the best birthday EVER!" said Jemma, as she bounced about in her aunt's arms giddily.

"What about little Leo?" asked Fitz, turning to face Skye and Grant. "He's 2 and a half, right? So he'll be turning 3 soon too. I definitely don't want to miss that either."

"Leo's birthday is a little bit further away from Jemma's, as he's got a few more months to go just yet" laughed Skye, as she smiled at Fitz. "You're more than welcome to attend his birthday too when it's time."

Fitz couldn't help but smile at the thought of attending both birthday parties, as he was already planning on his presents to his niece and nephew to be monkey related ones.

"Speaking of little Leo I'll go and check on him" said Grant, as he headed for the door. "I'll see if he's awake so he can meet everyone, especially Fitz, who I can tell is getting rather impatient now."

"I've never been a patient fellow, Ward, you know that!" yelled out Fitz to Grant's retreating back, hearing him simply chuckle in response as he left the room.

* * *

Upon entering his son's bedroom Grant did indeed find him to be stirring in his sleep, as he stretched out in his bed and slowly started to wake up. "Hey there little man" he smiled, as he sat down next to him, tenderly brushing the hair from his son's eyes.

"Daddy!" smiled Leo, extending his arms out towards his father for a hug.

Smiling softly Grant rose to his feet while scooping his son up and into his arms, as he happily hugged him to his chest. "I'm glad you're awake because daddy has a surprise for you downstairs."

"Like a present?" asked Leo with a smile, as he pulled back to look at his father.

"Sort of" laughed Grant. "Do you remember those people that knocked on the door when daddy was putting you down for your nap?"

"Yep yep!" nodded Leo. "Who are they, dada?"

"How about we go downstairs and they'll tell you, huh?" smiled Grant.

"Otay then!" clapped Leo in agreement.

Smiling at his young son Grant then walked out of his bedroom and down the stairs and back to the living room where everyone was waiting for him to return with Leo. Upon reaching the living room door he smiled at his son once more before opening the door and stepping back into the room with a wide smile. "And look who's awake after all!"

"Oh, I was really hoping that he was!" beamed Fitz, as he did his best to resist his building urge to do a happy dance at finally getting the chance to meet his namesake.

"Two down and only the one to go now..." said Skye, smiling at her husband as he approached her, as she then leaned up and softly kissed her son's cheek. "Did you have a good nap?"

Leo simply nodded at his mother's question before turning and pointing towards the new people in the room. "Now I meets people!"

"That's right, sweetie" smiled Skye while laughing at her son's adorableness. "And I think your daddy should be the one to do the introducing this time."

"Thank you, sweetheart" smiled Grant, leaning down to kiss her softly, as he then closed the remaining distance between himself and Fitz. "You ready, Fitz?"

"Not at all" replied Fitz. "I might get emotional."

"Oh, Fitz!" giggled Simmons. "Of course you'll be the most emotional one out of us all."

"Let's find out for sure then shall we?" chuckled Grant.

"Let's do this" nodded Fitz, smiling. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"Leo Antoine Ward, I would like you to officially meet your uncle, Leo Fitz..." said Grant, smiling at his young son before turning back to face Fitz. "...he's completely obsessed with monkeys and I just know that you will be too."


	8. Leo Antoine Ward

**Here's the newest chapter for ya'll which I hope you like! :) I enjoy writing for little Leo as I believe he's adorable and trying to write for an adorable little 2 year old in a cute way is quite fun! I actually base how he talks off of a little 2 year old boy I know :)**

**NOTE: I finally managed to finish outlining where this story is going and what will happen in the final chapters to which there are 4 left now, therefore taking this story to a grand total of 12 chapters altogether. The final chapter will be an epilogue so enjoy this chapter and hopefully the final 4 to come! :) Chapter 9 is half written to which I'll be finishing soon and working on the final 3 after that. Until then feel free to R&amp;R! xD**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. However, I do own my OC's of Jemma Ward, Leo Ward &amp; Philip "Phil" Ward.**

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**Chapter 8: Leo Antoine Ward**

"Hi there, lil' Leo" smiled Fitz, as he waved his right hand slowly back and forth in front of the young toddler before him. "It's very nice to meet you at long last."

Leo merely stared blankly at the strange man before him for about a full on minute before responding to him. "You're name Leo too?"

"That's right it is" nodded Fitz proudly. "We share the same name. Isn't that really cool?"

"Am named afta a Leo" said Leo, pointing to himself and then to Fitz. "Is that you?"

"I believe it is" nodded Fitz once more, now smiling. "Only lucky for you you're simply Leo and not boring old Leopold!"

"You can thank me for that" said Skye, smirking slightly. "No offense to your full first name or anything but I simply wanted to call him Leo. I knew it'd just get shortened as he grew up like your own did so..."

"It's fine, Skye, no worries at all" smiled Fitz, as he turned his attention back towards his young namesake. "I doubt little Leo minds at all either."

"So you're dada's best friend?" asked Leo, now smiling himself. "Dada say he name me afta his best friend!"

"I, uh, I, umm, yes?" said Fitz, smiling at Grant who nodded in response. "Yes. I'm your daddy's best friend."

"You always knew deep down that you were, Fitz" smiled Grant. "I know I should've told you more often but you know what I've always been like when it comes to opening up around people."

"He's only ever been good at opening up to me" said Skye, as she smiled at her husband.

"Again, no worries at all" said Fitz, shaking his head at them both. "I always viewed you as my best friend too, Ward."

"You're both silly" said Leo, as he scrunched his little nose up in confusion at his father and uncle.

"Why are we silly, Leo?" asked Fitz with a smile.

"He's referring to how you address each other as Fitz and Ward" laughed Skye. "You're confusing him, especially when it comes to Grant as he may only be 2 years old but he's smart enough to know that his surname is Ward and is probably wondering why you're calling his daddy by his surname."

"Ah, of course he's a smart little tyke like that!" chuckled Fitz, as he inched a little closer to his nephew. "I don't suppose I could get a little hug from you could I, Leo?"

"You want to hug your Uncle Leo don't you, my lil' man?" smiled Grant tenderly at his young son, as he slowly started passing him over into Fitz's now outstretched arms.

Leo immediately looked quite disgruntled at being removed from his father's arms and into those of a stranger, scrunching his little nose up once again, but now more so out of sadness than confusion.

"Does he not like me?" asked Fitz sadly.

"I'm sure he likes you" said Grant reassuringly, as he reached out and tickled his son's tummy which instantly made him laugh and rest his head on Fitz's shoulder. "Stick around long enough and you'll soon come to learn that when it comes to Leo he's very clingy towards me."

"If Grant wasn't in the room right now and I was the one introducing you to him then he'd been screaming for his daddy" said Skye, as she walked over to them with a smile. "Don't take it personally or anything. His daddy will always be his favourite person but he'll come to love you too. He'll come to love all of you. He just needs time warming up to you that's all."

"I completely understand" nodded Fitz understandingly, turning back to his nephew once more with a smile. "There's no need to be wary of me, Leo. I'm your uncle after all and all I want to do is get to know you."

"Unca?" said Leo, as he lifted his head up and stared at Fitz. "I call you Unca Leo?"

"He has his own special words when he can't say somethin' properly" commented Jemma, sighing slightly while shaking her head at her younger brother. "You'll get used to him eventually."

"I don't mind at all if he wants to call me Unca Leo as I think it's rather cute" smiled Fitz, as he successfully managed to hug his little nephew to his chest without any complaints from him. "Do you like monkeys, Leo?"

"Here we go!" sighed Grant, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Yesa!" nodded Leo, as he started to kick his legs about giddily. "And I like da big ones too! Da really big ones!"

"Gorillas?" asked Fitz, chuckling.

"Yesa!" clapped Leo excitedly. "And da ones that show their bums!"

"Oh, Leo!" giggled Skye, as she buried her now slightly blushing face into her husband's chest.

"Oh, baboons!" laughed Fitz. "I like baboons too! They are really naughty for showing off their bums!"

"Alright, Fitz, you've corrupted him far too much with monkey talk already!" sighed Tripp, as he walked over to stand by Fitz's right side with a smile. "I'd like to meet him now too if you don't mind."

"Okay, okay, fine" grumbled Fitz. "But I want him back when everyone is done officially meeting him."

"I'm starting to get the feeling that when it comes to our children we're never going to be able to successfully take Philip back from Coulson, Jemma back from Simmons or Leo back from Fitz at this rate" whispered Grant into his wife's ear.

"I'll be honest and say the thought has crossed my mind too" Skye whispered back with a giggle and a smile.

"So hey there, lil' guy" smiled Tripp. "I'm your Uncle Antoine. But you can call me Uncle Tripp."

"My middle name is Ant...Ant...o...on...ton..." said Leo, trailing off with a pout at not being able to pronounce it properly.

"Ah, don't worry about not being able to say Antoine properly, lil' guy!" chuckled Tripp softly, as he gently tugged Leo from Fitz's arms and into his own. "Can you say Tripp? Because you can call me Uncle Tripp instead."

"Unca Tripp!" clapped Leo, as he bounced about in Tripp's arms.

"Unca Tripp even!" chuckled Tripp, glancing from his nephew to face Grant and Skye. "So out of pure curiosity and all which one of you decided his middle name was going to be after me?"

"A little of both really" smiled Skye. "I actually wanted his middle name to be Tripp."

"Seriously?!" exclaimed Tripp. "Why doesn't that surprise me when it comes to you, Skye?"

"Because you know me far too well!" laughed Skye. "Anyway, my darling husband put his foot down on Tripp being his middle name and suggested Antoine instead. Apparently Tripp and Ward made it sound like he had two surnames instead of one."

"That and I believed that Antoine went a lot better with Leo than Tripp did" defended Grant. "At the end of the day he's still named after you too."

"I'm really honoured that he is and that you guys still thought about it when he was born" smiled Tripp. "If anything I'm surprised his middle name isn't Philip."

"Skye always wanted another son one day that she could call Philip" said Grant, as he flashed a small smile over towards his former boss who was currently sitting in a nearby armchair cradling his sleeping baby son. "And so baby number three came along which luckily was another boy."

"Thank heavens he was" said Coulson, as he smiled lovingly down at the young infant in his arms, soon dipping his head to place a tender kiss atop his forehead.

"I feel like physically hurting you both" whispered May to Grant and Skye through gritted teeth. "You're youngest son is making him clucky!"

"Good luck with that when you return to the Bus" chuckled Grant, quickly darting behind Skye when May flashed him a look that could clearly kill in mere seconds for his comment.

Skye merely snorted while wisely choosing to remain quiet.

"Unca Leo! Unca Tripp!" yelled Leo, startling everyone to glance at him where he was now pointing towards Simmons. "Who that?!"

"Ah, now that's a good question!" chuckled Tripp, smiling at Simmons. "Care to introduce yourself, Simmons?"

"Why of course" smiled Simmons, as she gently handed her niece over to Skye. "Don't worry. I'll be back."

"You wanna meet us all" beamed Jemma. "I get it. It's cool!"

"You're such a little sweetie pie!" laughed Simmons, pinching Jemma's cheeks.

"Tell me somethin' I don't know!" giggled Jemma, soon giggling even more when her parents also started laughing at her witty retort.

"Hello there, Leo" smiled Simmons, as she slowly approached her little nephew. "I'm your Auntie Jemma. It's lovely to meet you."

"My sista is called Jemma" said Leo, tilting his head at her.

"That's because your sister is named after me" smiled Simmons. "Just like you're named after your Uncle Leo."

"Otay" nodded Leo, smiling a little at her when he found himself being tugged from his Uncle Tripp's arms and into his Auntie Jemma's arms.

"My aren't you a handsome little fellow!" beamed Simmons.

"Like dada!" said Leo, pointing over towards his father.

"That's right, Leo, just like your dada!" grinned Grant proudly.

"Why do I get the feeling that he taught Leo to say that?" asked Simmons, quirking a brow at Skye.

"Because he totally did" sighed Skye, rolling her eyes at her still grinning husband.

"Can't deny he is Ward's double when you look at him" commented May, as she came to a stop beside Simmons and smiled softly at the youngster before her.

"They're all such adorable and beautiful looking children" smiled Simmons, failing to resist the urge to place a soft little kiss upon little Leo's right cheek who immediately crinkled his nose and wiped at his cheek with his hand. "Being the children of Skye and Ward though of course they would be adorable and beautiful."

"Thank you" said Skye and Grant in unison, both smiling proudly.

"Who are you?" asked Leo inquisitively while staring at May.

"I'm your Grandma Melinda" replied May. "Or Grandma May, whichever is easier for you to say."

"You're my Gramma?!" asked Leo, wide eyed.

May just smiled and shook her head at her young grandson's own version of saying Grandma. "Indeed I am."

"Cool!" yelled Leo, as he reached out towards May to hug her, happily doing as such when May settled him into her arms so that he was resting on her left hip.

"I assure you I'm the coolest Grandma you'll ever know" winked May, as she leaned closer to him to whisper into his ear. "Because I'm a secret ninja!"

"I like ninja's!" exclaimed Leo excitedly.

"It's true too, Leo!" squealed Jemma just as excitedly. "She helps our Grandpa Phil to run the secret Ninja Academy which me and you can attend when we're older!"

"Cooler!" exclaimed Leo, now more excited than he had been before.

"God, give us strength..." groaned Skye under her breath.

"They're never gonna forget their grandparents are secret ninja's now!" groaned Grant while burying his face in the crook of Skye's neck.

"Sucks to be you for starting the whole thing off in the first place" smirked May, sticking her tongue out at the two of them in a blink or you'll miss it move.

"I has Grampa too?" asked Leo curiously, as he looked around the room searching for him.

"You do indeed, Leo" smiled Coulson, as he slowly rose to his feet and walked towards him. "I'm your Grandpa Phil. And yes your little brother was named after me."

"Cool!" beamed Leo, bouncing up and down in his grandmother's arms.

"Care to hold the bouncing toddler?" asked May, turning to face her fiancé so she could hand their grandson over to him.

"I'd love to" smiled Coulson, gently handing baby Philip over to his father before turning back towards his oldest grandson and extending his arms out. "Can I get a hug too, Leo?"

"Suppose tis fair" nodded Leo, as he happily let his grandfather lift him from his grandmother's arms and into his own.

"Why thank you very much, Leo!" chuckled Coulson, as he smiled at his grandson.

"You welcome" smiled Leo, as he rested his head atop his grandfather's shoulder.

"You've been a very good boy today, Leo" smiled Grant at his eldest son happily resting in Coulson's arms. "Normally he's very wary around new people and clings to me a lot."

"You've introduced him to us all as his newest family members" said Fitz, smiling. "Therefore he trusts us and feels safe with us all."

"There isn't a better group of people out there that me and Grant would trust more with any of our children than the 5 of you guys" said Skye, as she smiled at each of them in turn.

"I'll admit I was really nervous about seeing you all again as I had no idea what you all really wanted" said Grant honestly, glancing back and forth at each of them. "But now I'm really happy that you guys are back in our lives. My children need you all just as much as Skye does. So I'm glad we're all reunited again."

"Don't try to deny that you need us too, Ward" smiled Coulson warmly. "Because we know you do. And despite what you may think deep down we all need you back in our lives too."

"Thank you, Coulson" smiled Grant. "That means a lot to me to hear."

"As far as I'm concerned the past is the past and we've no reason to ever revisit it again" said Coulson, flashing an _'I mean it' _look towards the other members of his team. "From now on we all focus on our future and once again being there for you and Skye whenever and however you need us all. You're children too because try as we might we could never leave them now."

"You're always welcome at our home" said Skye, smiling at her father. "We'll always welcome you all with open arms."

"Definitely" nodded Grant in agreement, as he slid his arm around his wife's waist and smiled down at her. "We're a family again."

"We sure are" said Skye, smiling up at her husband, as she then leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him softly on his lips.

"Are you guys staying for dinner?!" asked Jemma, jumping up and down in front of her Auntie Jemma until she scooped her up. "Because you should!"

"Ah, dinner. I should be getting a start on that about now" said Grant, flashing a smile in everyone's direction. "So are you guys going to stay for dinner then? Just so I know how much I need to cook for and all."

"You mean you actually cook dinner and not Skye?" asked May, brow quirked.

"Unless you want to eat charred food and what tastes like charcoal then it's a good thing that my husband cooks more than me!" laughed Skye. "My cooking is pretty much limited to the microwave. I'm banned from the cooker and the stove so I don't blow up our house. Plus, Grant is an amazing cook!"

"I enjoy cooking" smiled Grant, shrugging nonchalantly. "Not only is it relaxing but it's also my way of making sure that my children as well as my wife eat more healthy meals over unhealthy meals."

"We'd love to stay for dinner" smiled Coulson. "If you're sure you all really want us to stay and we're not overstaying our welcome or anything?"

"Not at all, dad" smiled Skye. "It'll be fun. You'll get to really see me, Grant and our children as the little family that we've become."

"Then I guess we're staying" said Coulson, smiling a warm smile at his daughter.

"Do you need help in the kitchen, Ward?" asked Tripp. "Because I quite like cooking too so I don't mind helping you out. It'd give me and you an opportunity to catch up."

"Sure thing" nodded Grant, smiling. "I think if anything it'd give me you a chance to actually get to know each other as we never really did before."

"Let's get cracking then shall we?" grinned Tripp, as he rubbed his hands together gleefully while striding towards the kitchen and disappearing inside.

"I get the feeling at one point he's going to do his best to give me the whole _'you ever hurt Skye and I'll kill you, Ward!' _talk..." frowned Grant.

"Well if he does just let him have his moment, okay?" smiled Skye. "Now go and bond with Tripp."

"I'll take little Phil" smiled Coulson, as he gently handed Leo over to Skye and then took Phil from Grant's arms who had been slowly waking up. "And we're finally reunited once more! Yes we are! Oh, yes we are!"

"Would you like to see my bedroom?" asked Jemma, smiling at her auntie. "We can play with my dolls until it's time for dinner!"

"Oh, I'd love that, sweetie!" smiled Simmons, happily walking out of the living room with her niece in her arms, as she followed her directions to her bedroom.

"Two settled and entertained with only one to go now" smiled Grant at his wife, as he then glanced down at Leo cuddled up to her chest. "Hey there, my lil' man. Y'know what I was thinking? I was thinking that you could show your Uncle Leo some of your favourite TV shows, yeah?"

"Otay!" nodded Leo, as he shimmied out of his mother's arms and ran towards the TV. "Umizoomi!"

"Umi what now?" said Fitz, furrowing his brows, as he wandered over towards his nephew and sat down on the floor next to him.

"I can't wait to see Fitz's reaction to Umizoomi!" laughed Skye.

"Yo! Ward! Get your butt in this kitchen and show me what the hell we're cookin' for dinner already!" yelled Tripp from the kitchen.

"I'm coming!" yelled Grant back, leaning down to give Skye a quick kiss before turning and disappearing into the kitchen.

"And then there were two" said May, laughing softly while smiling at her daughter.

"Well technically my dad and Fitz are still in the room" smiled Skye.

"But they're currently distracted by their young namesakes" said May. "Which is a good thing as it gives me and you some time to catch up before dinner."

"I'd really like that, mom" smiled Skye. "Wanna come and sit outside with me on the porch?"

"You got it, baby girl..." smiled May, as she wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders and headed outside with her. "...so, tell me, do you really like being Ward's wife and mother of his three young children all under the age of 5?"


	9. Family Bonding

**IMPORTANT NOTE: There is now only 1 more chapter of this story left which shall be posted before the 6th October, since that's the day I'm leaving to go on holiday for a little over a week, where updates to my fics will then be on hiatus until I return. However, I plan to continue this story on after I return via a little family holiday sequel I plan to write while on my own holiday (since I'm going to base it around it in a way). And then once that's done this story will again be complete, but I do plan to randomly add little chapters to it every now and then after that, since I don't want to end this story completely because it's so fun to write. The complete that'll be attached to it after though will be less pressure on me to constantly update, so I'll be doing it every now and then and surprising ya'll with some SkyeWard and team family fluff when we really need it because trust me that show is gonna make us need it! And to the people that have asked about Biscuit the dog then you will be finding out how he got his name in the next chapter but he won't make an appearance again until I re-open this fic after my holiday :)**

**(I just wanna say that writing little Leo is fun because he's based on a real little 2 and a half year old I know that I actually watch the shows with he mentions in this, because away from writing then working with little adorable children like him is what I do :D Also, what he says about the second show he loves is honestly what I think of in regards to the character he mentions. You'll see :P)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. However, I do own my OC's of Jemma Ward, Leo Ward &amp; Philip "Phil" Ward.**

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**Chapter 9: Family Bonding**

"So are you going to answer me?" asked May, as she sat down on the porch steps beside Skye.

"What do you think it's like for me being married to Grant for the past 5 years with 3 children?" asked Skye, glancing at May with a smile when she sat down beside her.

"I imagine you enjoy it or you wouldn't have lasted this long" smirked May. "If it was me I'd find it rather boring. But then that's just me since Ward has never been my type."

"Says the woman who slept with him way before I ever did!" scoffed Skye.

"Error of judgement" shrugged May nonchalantly. "It never meant anything to us. You know we were just compartmentalizing. I was substituting Ward for Coulson and he was substituting me for you."

"Even though neither of you needed to do that because Ward knows I'd have been with him in a heartbeat while we all know that my dad would've been with you in a heartbeat too" said Skye, flashing her a smirk.

"It was all different back then, Skye" sighed May. "People like me and Ward couldn't be with people like you and Coulson. We would have hurt you both a lot more than we ever have in the past if we'd been with you both from the very beginning. So we never risked it."

"Because you were both keeping secrets from us" said Skye, sighing herself.

"Ward's being the biggest one of all" said May, as she rolled her eyes a little.

"He more than made up for everything when he chose to kill Garrett and not me" said Skye with a small smile.

"A little jail time wouldn't have hurt him as well though" said May, frowning.

"Quit being bitter, mom" said Skye, as she stuck her tongue out at her playfully. "It's been 5 years. He's a changed man now."

"I can see that" said May, smiling a little. "Though I'm going to need to see a little bit more in order to be completely satisfied that he's changed for the better."

"You will at dinner" said Skye, smiling back. "Our children can be a handful at dinnertime and Grant is great with them, especially Leo who can get really hyper and throw his food at Jemma."

"That I want to see" laughed May, while smiling at her warmly. "You never call him Ward anymore do you?"

"Only when I'm mad at him" smiled Skye. "So about 50% of the time."

"That's my girl!" smirked May, as she bumped Skye's shoulder with her own proudly. "But you still haven't answered my question."

"I love being married to Grant and he loves being married to me. We're really happy together" sighed Skye contently. "Our children just add to our happiness."

"Were all the kids planned?" asked May curiously.

"God, no!" exclaimed Skye, laughing softly. "I fell pregnant with Jemma not long after we went on the run together. The constant looking over our shoulders and making sure we were never followed took up a lot of our time and concentration while we did our best to cover our tracks. So I had a habit of forgetting my pill during our more often than not, y'know, in the back of stolen cars and overnight stays at the odd motel here and there. At least until we eventually found this place and settled down here."

"Why doesn't that surprise me with you two?" said May, shaking her head. "But she was the best thing that ever happened to you both though, right?"

"Yeah, she was" smiled Skye happily. "Especially to Grant. He wanted a little girl so badly ever since I told him I was pregnant. When we found out a few months later that we were actually expecting a girl he was so excited. He actually started to enjoy shopping after that and would always be dragging me into baby store after baby store looking for all the cutest outfits in pink and purple that he could find! Before Jemma was even born she was a spoiled little daddy's girl!"

"I would've paid good money to see Ward shopping for tiny pink clothes!" snorted May. "And then teased him relentlessly afterwards."

"He was adorable and so loving and attentive while being really overprotective throughout my whole pregnancy of not just me but our daughter too" smiled Skye at the memories. "I just knew that because of how he was before Jemma was even born that he was going to be an amazing father."

"Which one of you is responsible for her ending up being called Jemma Melinda?" asked May with a warm smile.

"Both of us really" said Skye, as she glanced at her with a smile of her own. "I wanted to call her Melinda after you. But Grant has never forgiven himself for everything that went down with FitzSimmons towards the end. After she kicked for the first time he broke down a little and admitted to me that he wanted to call her Jemma so he could have another Jemma in his life. So that's how she became Jemma Melinda."

"That's really sweet" smiled May, as she took Skye's left hand in her own and squeezed it tightly. "She has a beautiful name."

"It was the same with Leo" said Skye, as she squeezed May's hand back just as tightly. "Though he was a lot more guarded and closed off when I was pregnant with Leo. He was half planned in the sense that we'd been talking about trying for another baby so Jemma could have a sibling, but we hadn't actually decided when was the best time. Then not long after that I found out I was pregnant anyway."

"Why was he so guarded and more closed off during your second pregnancy?" asked May curiously.

"Because I was having a boy" replied Skye with a sigh. "It's not that he wanted another girl more or anything but more so he was just scared about having a son. He wouldn't admit it to me for so long but I eventually found out when he'd talk to my bump at night when he thought I was sleeping. He'd admit to fearing he'd be a bad father to a son like his own was to him. It broke my heart to hear. After I confronted him about it we talked and he'd confide in me a lot more after that. Then after he kicked for the first time he became a lot more loving and attentive just like he was throughout my pregnancy with Jemma."

May just nodded in understanding and smiled throughout Skye explaining everything, while continuing to squeeze her hand comfortingly.

"Before he was born he told me he wanted to call him Leo after Fitz because just like he did with Jemma he needed another Leo in his life" smiled Skye. "But he also admitted to me that he believed if we called our son after someone as kind hearted and pure as Fitz was that he'd be just as kind hearted and pure as Fitz was growing up."

"I never knew Ward could be so sweet" laughed May softly. "You've made him soft."

"You just never knew him the way that I do" said Skye, smirking. "Whenever he's with me and our children he's completely different. Because around his family he's the real Grant Ward. It's as simple as that."

"I can see that" said May. "So how was he when you were pregnant with little Philip?"

"Philip was the only one out of our three children that was actually planned" said Skye, as she smiled at the memories of their constant baby making shenanigans flashing through her mind. "I wanted to try for another baby because I wanted another little boy that I could name after my dad, because like I said I needed another Phil in my life. So we started to try and luckily for us we conceived another little boy. He was fine with trying again and he was a lot more relaxed and calm about having another son. But he did admit to me that he still had a lot of fears and worries about having two sons that could potentially end up one day like him and his older brother."

"I don't believe Leo and Philip will ever end up like that with each other" said May, smiling reassuringly. "Not with parents like you and Ward."

"We already know that they won't" smiled Skye. "Leo adores his little brother. He always wants to hug and kiss him. You'll see how he is with him the longer you stick around. All of our children are close, though Jemma and Leo can fight, but it's never anything too serious. And trust me when I say that Grant watches how they are with each other carefully when they fight because he's so determined not to miss any potential signs of it becoming worse in the future, to which he plans to do with all 3 of them as they continue to grow up."

"I have to admit to you, Skye, that I'm really impressed with the man that Ward has become" said May truthfully. "I've never had much faith in him and I regret that a little bit now."

"Perhaps now you'll start giving him more of a chance?" asked Skye hopefully.

"I promise I'll try" said May honestly. "But mainly for you if anything."

"Thank you" smiled Skye. "I've really missed you, mom."

"I've missed you too, baby girl" smiled May, as she reached out towards Skye and pulled her into her arms for a hug. "I promise you I'm not going anywhere now that we've found you again."

"Did you ever stop searching for me?" asked Skye quietly, as she happily hugged the woman she would always view as her mother back.

"Never" said May, as she pulled back from her with a smile. "Especially your father. He just couldn't stop searching. He let you go willingly so you could be with Ward and let you get far enough away before he started searching for you again. He lasted about 3 days and ever since then he's never stopped searching for you."

"What would he have done if he'd found me?" asked Skye curiously.

"Exactly what he's done now" said May, smiling softly. "He would've gathered the team up and brought us all out to see how you were doing. But he probably would've been able to leave you a lot more easily to live in peace if you didn't have children. It was wanting to be a part of their lives while being back in yours that made it a lot harder for him to drive away a second time."

"That's what I was hoping for when I deliberately allowed him to finally find me" grinned Skye. "Because finding me wasn't an accident, y'know? I wanted to be found so that's the only reason you were able to track me down after all of this time."

"I know, baby girl" smiled May knowingly. "We're glad you did. And I give you my word that no one else will ever know where you and Ward are. But if anyone else ever does find out on their own then I also give you my word that the whole team will protect you and keep you safe, even helping you to flee and go into hiding elsewhere if we need to one day."

"I know you will" smiled Skye. "Because that's what families do for each other."

"Always" smiled May, as she happily enveloped Skye into her arms again for another hug.

* * *

"D'ya like my room auntie Jemma?!" asked Jemma excitedly, as she bounded into her bedroom with Simmons following closely behind her.

"I adore your room, sweetie!" smiled Simmons, as she closed the door behind her and glanced around her niece's bedroom. Upon looking around she was met with pink painted walls, countless dolls, teddy bears and all things Disney Princess related you could think of.

"It's a room fit for a Princess is what my daddy always says!" beamed Jemma. "Because I'm his little Princess so I need a bedroom just like a Princess!"

"Oh, that's so sweet of your daddy!" smiled Simmons. "But he's right because you are a little Princess!"

"Yep! I know!" beamed Jemma, as she spun around to bound over towards the small table just underneath her bedroom window. "D'ya like guinea pigs?"

"I don't mind them" said Simmons, as she came to a stop beside Jemma and settled her eyes upon the light beige guinea pig with a white face, while the second one was a mixture of brown, white and black in the cage before her. "Oh, that's why you asked! You have two adorable little guinea pigs! What are they called?!"

"Wallace and Gromit" replied Jemma, smiling. "The beige one is Wallace and the one that's three different colours is Gromit."

"I take it you're a fan of the _Wallace &amp; Gromit_ show and movies?" laughed Simmons softly.

"Yep!" nodded Jemma. "I wanted a pet of my own since Biscuit, our dog, is mainly my daddy's and Leo's. I got two guinea pigs cuz they are cute and were brothers so they couldn't be parted."

"I see" said Simmons, laughing once more. "Speaking of Biscuit how ever did he get his name?"

"My silly brother!" said Jemma, sighing deeply. "Ask him and he'll tell you."

"I'll be sure to do that" giggled Simmons at how much little Jemma was reminding her of Skye with her attitude and mannerisms.

"D'ya wanna watch a movie auntie Jemma?" asked Jemma, as she ran for her bed and jumped on top. "C'mon! I've got all the Disney movies on my tablet!"

"You have a tablet?" asked Simmons, quirking a brow, though not really surprised with her being Skye's daughter, as she sat down beside her.

"Of course I do!" beamed Jemma, as she fished out her tablet from her bedside drawer and immediately started tapping at it to bring up all that she wanted. "My mummy taught me how to use it!"

"You're very smart for your age, aren't you?!" giggled Simmons, as she reached out and tickled Jemma.

Jemma just squealed while doing the same and tickling her auntie back. Before they knew it they'd both erupted into a fit of giggles and were engaged quite happily in a tickle fight with each other.

* * *

"I'm so confused!" exclaimed Fitz, frowning slightly at the TV before him and the show, _Team Umizoomi, _his little nephew was insisting that he watched. "What are those things again?!"

"Supahewos!" said Leo, as he bounced up and down excitedly on the floor. "Milli and Geo! And Bot the robot!"

"Oh, okay!" nodded Fitz, as he tried to focus on what the show was actually about. From what he'd gathered so far after watching for a few minutes it was a computer animated fantasy show with the odd musical number thrown in here and there that helped children with their maths such as counting, numbers, sequences, shapes, patterns, measurements and comparisons, while not dumbing it down too much and making it exciting to watch because Milli and Geo were superheroes that helped small children out all over the world when maths got the better of them.

"Me and you are their Umifriend!" explained Leo, while never once taking his eyes off of the screen in front of them. "We has to umm, de...vel...up our Mighty Math Powas while they zoom awound Umi City!"

"Ah, I see!" nodded Fitz, smiling adoringly at his little nephew explaining to the best of his ability what the show was about, while being ever so cute in stopping to spell out words he couldn't pronounce properly, something which he figured Skye and Ward had taught him to do. "Well I must say it's all very exciting to learn!"

"Yesa!" nodded Leo in agreement. "And then _PAW Patrol _is next!"

"And what's _PAW Patrol _about exactly?" asked Fitz curiously. "Is it about dogs?"

"Yesa!" nodded Leo, turning towards his uncle and crawling into his lap, as he then happily settled back against his chest while sucking on his left thumb. "I like it cuz one of da puppies is Skye and that's mummy's name."

"One of the puppies is really named Skye?" asked Fitz, as he wrapped his arms around Leo's waist and happily cuddled him to his chest.

"Skye is da only girl puppy" said Leo, as he continued to suck his thumb while speaking, his voice slightly muffled from doing so but still understandable. "Da otha's are Chase, Marshall, Rocky, Zuma and Rubble and a lil' boy looks afta them and he's Ryder."

"I can't wait to see this show!" exclaimed Fitz sincerely. "What does _PAW Patrol _mean though?"

"Umm, they umm, they save people!" answered Leo. "Skye has a copter! She wears alota pink and she's, umm, fy...fy...sty...like my mummy as daddy says!"

"Feisty?" laughed Fitz softly. "Why doesn't that surprise me?!"

"Me and mummy watch it togetha" said Leo, smiling. "She can watch it with us."

"I'm sure she'd love that, Leo, you lil' monkey you!" grinned Fitz, as he tickled Leo and laughed at the excitable giggle he released.

"You're in way over your head with your tiny namesake there, Fitz" chuckled Coulson softly from where he sat not far from behind Fitz on one of the small armchairs.

"Says the man who is constantly cooing and muttering many _'Who's a good little boy, then?' _lines at the baby in his arms!" snorted Fitz without turning around to face his boss.

"Little Phil is adorable" smiled Coulson, as he continued to coo and smile down at his adorable baby grandson in his arms who was awake and gurgling up at him with wide, curious eyes that reminded him of Skye's. "I can't help it."

"Then you know how I feel, Sir" said Fitz, smiling, as he continued to happily cuddle his nephew on his lap, while Coulson remained silent and content to happily cuddle his grandson.

* * *

"Y'know you've got a pretty sweet house, man!" said Tripp appreciatively, as he roamed his eyes around the pretty modern looking kitchen with state of the art everything. "How do you afford the upkeep of a house like this? It's all legal, right?"

"Of course it's all legal, Tripp!" chuckled Grant, as he continued to prepare the Spaghetti Bolognese he was making for his children while Tripp prepared the Chicken Lasagne he was making for everyone else. "S.H.I.E.L.D. always paid really well. I had a lot of money saved up from all the years I worked for them secreted away in bank accounts all around the world so that's what me and Skye have been living on the past 5 years, though I do also have a part time job. I make an honest living now."

"I see" said Tripp, as he wandered the kitchen looking for a tray. "And what would that part time job be that's so honest, hmm?"

"I do part time construction work in the local town" replied Grant, as he started dicing the carrots. "I actually enjoy it. I've made a few friends who also have a couple of kids of their own that Jemma goes to school with and Leo goes to nursery with. It's only part time though so I mainly work during the day and I'm done before the kids get out of school and nursery so I can pick them up and spend time with them and Skye. I don't work weekends because that's definitely family time."

"You're such a family man these days!" chuckled Tripp. "It's pretty sweet."

"Skye and our children mean the world to me" smiled Grant. "I wouldn't give the life I now have up for anything or anyone."

"Don't sweat it because y'know the whole team will make sure that you and Skye never have too" said Tripp, meaning every word. "Do you and Skye ever get any time to yourselves though with 3 young children constantly running around?"

"How do you think we ended up with Philip?!" chuckled Grant. "We've got a few close friends who will happily take our kids for a few hours a night just like we will theirs so, yeah, we get the odd date night here and there."

"Too much information, man, seriously..." grimaced Tripp. "...I should never have asked."

"What about you?" asked Grant, chuckling. "Anyone special in your life, Tripp?"

"Nah!" said Tripp, shaking his head. "I like flying solo. I mean don't get me wrong or anything as I've dabbled in the odd fling here and there but nothing too serious."

"Didn't you used to have a thing for Simmons at one point?" asked Grant, glancing over at him.

"I'll admit I had a small crush on her at one point" said Tripp, sighing. "But I never really did anything about it. Ever since Fitz admitted his undying love to her in that pod things changed between the two of them and it eventually brought them together."

"FitzSimmons are more than just friends now?" asked Grant curiously, as he didn't know that. But if they were then he was happy for them because they deserved to be together and he'd always secretly wished deep down they'd get together one day.

"You wouldn't know it to look at them as they're pretty discreet about it" replied Tripp. "They like to remain professional around others. But they are involved romantically and have been for a few years now, just like Coulson and May have. I'm the only single one and I'm quite happy with that."

"You say that now" chuckled Grant. "But one day you'll meet someone that will change your mind and completely take your breath away."

"Yeah, maybe" said Tripp, sighing. "But right now I'm still happy to just keep on flying solo."

Grant just nodded at Tripp in understanding, as they soon settled into a comfortable silence beside each other while happily continuing to make dinner for everyone and engaging in the odd witty banter here and there.

And then before they knew it dinner was ready and waiting to be served, and if Grant was completely honest with himself he was actually quite looking forward to spending time sitting down with Skye and their once upon a team as a family just like they used to in the past. Only this time it would be even more special and fun for everyone involved because his and Skye's children would definitely make sure of that!


	10. A Family Dinner

**Here's a new chapter for ya'll and I hope you enjoy it! :) **

**IMPORTANT NOTE: This fic is now marked as complete, however, it is NOT going to be over for long, as I've more chapters planned along with a little holiday sequel that I mentioned in the previous chapter via another note. I'm off on holiday myself come Monday (6th October) so until I return this fic is temporarily complete until I re-open it for the holiday sequel and extra chapters. Here's hoping you want me too though that is as I honestly enjoy writing this fic too much at the moment to let it go completely :) So until then I hope you enjoy this chapter for now and remember that there's a lot more to come despite the complete and it'll be re-opened again in about 2ish weeks from now :)**

**DICLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. However, I do own my OC's of Jemma Ward, Leo Ward &amp; Philip "Phil" Ward.  
**

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**Chapter 10: A Family Dinner**

With Tripp's help Grant set up the dining table in the small and cosy dining room to the right of the kitchen where he, Skye and their children would spend quality time together as a family when having dinner and now would be joined by their ex-teammates. After setting the table and placing enough chairs around for everyone to sit down together Tripp dished out the Chicken Lasagne he'd cooked for everyone while Grant dished out the Spaghetti Bolognese he'd made for Jemma and Leo, since it was one of their favourite dishes that they always enjoyed. He just hoped more than anything that they didn't decide to indulge in one of their food fights with each other, because if they did then not only would it no doubt be amusing for everyone to witness but also no doubt extremely messy with Coulson's precious suit becoming spoiled in the process. He also wasn't entirely sure if someone like May could keep calm enough deep down since he highly doubted she was at all used to being around small, rambunctious children that would easily find it amusing to smear her hair in spaghetti if given the chance too, especially Leo. Once they'd finally finished setting the table and dishing out the food onto plates for everyone and into bowls for the children they then wandered the house together to round everyone up and usher them all into the kitchen for a family dinner.

"Did you feed the dog?" asked Skye, glancing over towards her husband who was buckling Leo into his booster seat while she finally managed to prise Philip from the arms of her father and into her own. "Because he's just going to harass us for his own food while we eat ours if you don't."

"I'm not entirely sure where the dog is" replied Grant, as he finished buckling Leo into his booster seat and ruffled his hair. "So that'd be a no."

"You know he's probably in our room sprawled out at the bottom of our bed" sighed Skye, as she rocked Philip in her arms. "And if he's not then he'll be in Leo's room since he hangs around him just as much as he does you."

"I'll go and find him so I can feed him, alright?" sighed Grant, as he walked over to his wife and dipped his head to kiss her softly on her smiling lips.

"Why thank you!" smiled Skye, as she kissed him once more. "You can take Philip up to his room too and place him down for a nap before he wakes up again and no doubt hungry too."

"Sure thing, babe" said Grant, happily taking their baby son from her arms and striding from the dining room with him, as he tenderly nuzzled his nose against his son's ever so tiny one as he did so.

"Gosh, you guys are just SO married!" laughed Simmons softly from where she sat next to her niece. "It's so cute to witness your little interactions together as husband and wife!"

"We have been married for 5 years now!" laughed Skye, shaking her head a little, as she sat down next to Leo and opposite of Coulson who was seated beside May.

Sitting next to May was little Jemma with Simmons next to her, while Tripp was seated around the corner of the table from Simmons, as Fitz and little Leo then took up the chairs on the opposite side of them. The dining table was quite a large one and currently had everyone spaced out as evenly as they could get on either side. The final seat was beside Skye around the corner from her and where Grant would sit when he returned from putting Philip down for his nap and feeding the family dog.

"So do we all dig in or do we wait for Ward?" asked Tripp, eager to start tucking into the tasty Chicken Lasagne he'd prepared.

"You can all start eating as he won't mind" said Skye, smiling and nodding at everyone in turn, as she then rose to her feet to retrieve a bib for Leo since she knew he'd make a complete and utter mess while eating his Spaghetti Bolognese.

"Mummy, where dada?" asked Leo, as he smiled up at his mother when she returned to his side to wrap and tie his bib around his neck.

"Dada is putting your little brother down for a nap and then he's going to feed Biscuit" replied Skye, tenderly kissing her son on his forehead before sliding back into the seat beside him. "And then he'll be back, okay?"

"Otay" nodded Leo, picking up his sippy cup and taking a drink from it.

"Well that was easier than it normally is" laughed Skye, catching the eyes of Coulson and May who were smiling at her inquisitively. "Normally he kicks up more of a fuss whenever Grant leaves the room and throws a little tantrum until he comes back. He's very clingy to his daddy."

"I think he's just doing his best to be on his best behaviour today around us all" smiled Coulson warmly.

"Perhaps" smiled Skye. "But you'll slowly see in time that won't always be the case."

"What I want to know is why is your dog called Biscuit of all names?" asked Fitz curiously, as he took a bite from his Chicken Lasagne.

"I was wondering that too" said Simmons, as she glanced over towards little Leo with a smile. "You're sister told me to ask you, Leo."

"I name him Biscuit" said Leo, as he leaned over his plate and shovelled some of his Spaghetti Bolognese into his mouth.

"But why did you choose Biscuit as his name?" asked Fitz, smiling at his little nephew sitting next to him.

"I should've known this conversation would happen at one point" chuckled Grant, strolling back into the room and slipping into the seat beside Skye, as he then leaned over towards her to give her a quick kiss.

"You two kiss too much" said Coulson, frowning at them both.

"We're married, dad, it's what we do from time to time" laughed Skye.

"We're not going to stop just because you all happen to be here either" said Grant, smirking slightly at Coulson. "We're a very loving couple that are prone to the odd bit of PDA here and there. You'll get used to us doing so eventually."

"I can't wait until the day your own daughter is saying that to you about her own husband" scowled Coulson.

"If I have my way my daughter is becoming a nun" mumbled Grant under his breath, earning himself an eye roll from his wife and a snort from Coulson.

"Leo, sweetie, why don't you tell your uncle and auntie how Biscuit got his name since they really want to know?" suggested Skye to her young son in order to change the topic of conversation.

"Otay" nodded Leo. "I like Biscuits! And so does Biscuit be'cuz he stole mine when he was a baby!"

"You mean when he was a puppy, sweetie" smiled Skye, laughing softly.

"Yesa!" said Leo, nodding again. "And he stole my biscuit and he eated it!"

"And that's how he became known as Biscuit?" chuckled Fitz, shaking his head at his adorable nephew.

"I wanted to call him Casper after the friendly ghost" said Jemma casually, while not looking up from eating her Spaghetti Bolognese. "Mummy wanted to call him Simba after the lion in The Lion King."

"But ultimately Leo won out of everyone" said Grant, smiling. "Mainly because he screamed until he got his way though."

"That and we figured it was only fair he got to name Biscuit since Jemma has two guinea pigs so therefore had already given two pets names already" said Skye, as she leaned over towards her son and wiped away the Spaghetti sauce with his bib that was currently dribbling down his chin.

"You've got guinea pigs?" asked Tripp, as he flashed a smile towards Jemma.

"Yep!" nodded Jemma, as she grinned back up at him. "They're called Wallace and Gromit."

"Sweet names!" chuckled Tripp.

"I wanted to call them Peppa and George from Peppa Pig" said Jemma, sighing. "But mummy said I had to have both boys so I went with Wallace and Gromit instead."

"Mummy didn't want them to breed with each other and have a million babies!" said Skye with a small eye roll. "A husband, two toddlers, a baby on the way since Philip had yet to be born, a puppy and two guinea pigs was already enough to handle in my opinion because the last thing I needed when Philip was born was a newborn baby and countless baby guinea pigs to run around after as well!"

Everyone just looked at Skye and laughed at her saying that while Jemma merely quirked a brow at everyone laughing all of a sudden.

"Grown ups are weird" muttered Jemma under her breath, as she then returned to eating.

"Gotta admit that your pets have pretty cool names" remarked Tripp, chuckling a little as he did so.

"We've definitely learned that when you leave the pet naming process up to small children then you're pretty much going to get stuck with the first thing that comes to their mind at the time whether you like it or not" laughed Grant. "We once had four fish named Tinkerbell, Snow White, Ariel and Cinderella. Care to guess who named them?"

"I'm guessing Jemma did!" giggled Simmons, as she tickled her niece and made her giggle too.

"Fish are pretty much the only things I don't believe in naming" commented May ever so casually. "They don't exactly respond when you call their names."

"Neither do dolls and teddy bears" said Grant, as he glanced over towards May with a smirk. "And yet Jemma and Leo name theirs all of the time."

"Touché" said May, quirking a brow at him.

For the remainder of their meal they all continued to happily chat back and forth between each other, as they all more than happily caught up with each other the best that they could after 5 years spent apart. The more they all talked the more they all once again started to feel like the family that they'd always been and despite being out of each other's lives for as long as they had been that they always would be deep down, only this time a little bit bigger thanks to the three Ward children. And this time around they were all more determined than ever to stay together and never lose touch again no matter what. They could all deny it as much as they wanted, but deep down each one of them would always need each other, because if there was one thing they'd all come to slowly learn over time was that your past didn't have to define your future.

* * *

As the night slowly started to set in Coulson started to reluctantly gather his team up to return to Lola so that they could all return back to the Bus and sadly back to work. They needed to return before anyone noticed too much that they'd all been gone a lot longer than normal and decided to go looking for them.

"Do you really have to go?" asked Jemma sadly, as she glanced back and forth between her grandparents, aunt and uncles. "Can't you guys stay?"

"I wish we could, sweetie" smiled Simmons, as she crouched down in front of her niece. "But we have to get back to our own homes and back to work."

"You'll be back though, right?" asked Jemma hopefully.

"Of course we will" smiled Simmons. "There's nothing in the world that will keep any of us away from you, your brothers, your mummy and your daddy. I promise you. Not now and not ever."

"I'm gonna hold you to that, y'know?" smiled Jemma, as she reached out and wrapped her arms tightly around her auntie.

"You wouldn't be a mini Skye if you didn't!" laughed Simmons softly, as she happily hugged her back. "We'll be back for your birthday, okay?"

"So 3 weeks from now?" asked Jemma, as she pulled away from her auntie and smiled at her brightly.

"We wouldn't miss you turning 5 for the world" beamed Simmons, as she tenderly bopped her on her nose with her finger.

"Yay!" clapped Jemma excitedly. "It'll be the bestest birthday in the history of EVER!"

"Ain't no doubt about that, lil' one!" chuckled Tripp, as he bent down and scooped Jemma up into his arms for a hug.

"We'll be here for your birthday as well as your brother Leo's too" said Fitz, as he walked over towards Tripp and hugged Jemma along with him since group hugging their niece had fast become their thing. "We'll always do our best from now on to attend all of your birthday parties."

"That means extra presents for me!" giggled Jemma, happily hugging and squeezing her uncle's as she did so.

"One day our house will be overloaded with toys!" chuckled Grant with a shake of his head.

"Like it isn't already!" snorted Skye from where she stood beside him.

"We should really get going" said Coulson from where he stood with Grant and Skye, happily bouncing little Philip up and down in his arms who had awoken from his nap not too long ago and just in time for him to say goodbye to. "If we don't then there's going to be people looking for us."

Reluctantly and a little sadly Skye just nodded her head at him before enveloping him into her arms for a tight hug, while being ever so careful not to squish her baby son in the process. Once she'd hugged him to her heart's content she'd then turned to May and done the same, with FitzSimmons and Tripp soon following afterwards. Even Grant more than happily shared goodbye hugs with FitzSimmons and Tripp, while merely smiling and shaking the hands of Coulson and May.

Once the team had said goodbye to Skye and Grant they soon pulled each other into all of their arms with all 3 of the little Ward children for a massive group hug at little Jemma's insistence, where she then proceeded to shower and all but smother them to death with little kisses, which little Leo soon joined in with and copied his big sister in doing so.

* * *

As soon as they were all done with saying goodbye Skye switched on the TV and put on Nicktoons to distract Jemma and Leo with so she could see the team drive off in Lola with Grant at the front door.

"We're really gonna miss you guys" sighed Skye. "You really will be back won't you?"

"Just try and keep us away, baby girl" smiled Coulson. "We'll be back for Jemma's birthday so don't worry too much."

"I believe you" smiled Skye, as she closed the distance between herself and her father to prise Philip from his arms and into her own. "Nice try on trying to baby nap my son. You've had more than enough cuddles from him today and he's due a feed really soon."

"I was thinking more along the lines of grandpa napping him" chuckled Coulson softly, before pouting slightly. "I wish I could stay to feed him."

"I hate to break it to you, Coulson, but even I can't feed him just yet" laughed Grant. "Only Skye can feed him at the moment."

"How come?" asked Coulson innocently.

"Because she has breasts which you and Ward don't" answered May before anyone else could, smirking as she did so.

"Ah, right..." said Coulson, grimacing. "...I should've got that reference to mean, ah, breastfeeding."

"Alright, come on! Let's get going" said May, as she attempted to pull her fiancé away and towards Lola where FitzSimmons and Tripp were patiently waiting for them having already said their goodbyes once more.

"I'll see you real soon, baby girl" smiled Coulson, as he tenderly kissed Skye on her cheek before turning to do the same to his little grandson. "You too, Philip."

"Stay safe" said May, smiling, as she lightly hugged Skye and graced little Philip with a small kiss atop his forehead. "All of you."

"We will" smiled Skye, doing her best to hold back her tears. "Don't worry, mom."

"Take care of her" said May, narrowing her eyes at Grant, before turning to walk away with a smirk. "Or else."

"I've taken care of her for the past 5 years!" yelled Grant after her, rolling his eyes. "I'm always going to take care of her along with our children!"

"When it comes to me and Melinda you'll never take care of Skye enough in our eyes" said Coulson, as he faced Grant with a smile. "Because as parents we reserve the right to believe that no one can take of our child as good as we can. You've got your own children now so you'll know the feeling well I'm sure. But regardless of all that we do trust you to always take care of her and our grandchildren to the best of your ability just like you have been and always will."

"Thank you, Coulson" smiled Grant, nodding at him. "I appreciate that."

"I have to say that I miss you calling me Sir over Coulson" grinned Coulson, as he held out his hand for Grant to shake goodbye.

"You'll be missing it for a long time then" smirked Grant, as he happily took his outstretched hand and shook it. "Because I don't have to call you Sir anymore now that I'm a free man, no longer work for you and don't answer to anyone."

"Anyone but me that is" grinned Skye while winking at her husband.

Coulson just smiled at them both fondly before sighing deeply. "Okay, I gotta hit the road. I'll see you all again in 3 weeks along with the others. I promise we will."

"I know it's not that far away but I'm gonna really miss you" said Skye, turning to Grant and carefully handing him Philip to hold so she could wrap her arms tightly around her father for one last goodbye hug.

"I'm going to miss you too, Skye" said Coulson, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist and hugging her as tightly to himself as he could. "But at least now I'll always know where you are."

"Thank you for coming back a second time and not being able to drive away" whispered Skye into his ear, as her tears now slowly started to fall down her cheeks. "You're the one I regret leaving behind the most and you always will be. Though I don't regret being with Grant and having children with him."

"I know, baby girl, I know" said Coulson quietly, as he hugged her tighter and tried his best to conceal his own tears that were now slowly threatening to fall.

"Thank you for everything, dad" said Skye, kissing him softly on his left cheek as she pulled away to smile at him. "If you hadn't of let me go I wouldn't be a wife and a mother right now."

"Yes you would" smiled Coulson, glancing to Grant briefly before looking to Skye once more. "I would've found another way to allow you guys to be together. But I'm glad I didn't because the way it's all happened was a lot better. You managed to keep your children away from S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA and that's a good thing, because that's not a life they needed to live. And even now that I'm back in your life and ultimately bringing S.H.I.E.L.D. with me again they still won't ever be a part of that world. We'll all make sure of that."

"I really appreciate that" smiled Skye. "But in order to really make that possible you and mom really need to stop talking about the secret Ninja Academy to my daughter."

"Ah, yes, that we do!" chuckled Coulson, hugging her once more, as he then slowly started to turn away from them and head back towards Lola and the others. "I hold no promises but we'll do our best."

"I'll believe it when I see it" laughed Skye, sighing, as she wrapped her arms around herself and waved them all off sadly, keeping her eyes upon Lola the whole time until she and the team that she would always view as her family had completely disappeared from her sight. "I really hope they come back again."

"You know they will, babe" said Grant, softly kissing her cheek, as he handed Philip back to her so he could slip behind her and wrap his arms around her waist while resting his head lightly atop her shoulder. "And if they don't I'll find them and bring them back to you somehow."

"I don't even think they'll wait 3 weeks before they return again" smiled Skye, as she leaned back against her husband's chest contently while smiling down at their youngest son she was now cradling to her chest. "They'll probably be back in a week or something like that."

"Knowing them they'll probably be back tomorrow" chuckled Grant, kissing her cheek once more and smiling down at their son who was now squirming about in her arms and jerking his head back and forth. "C'mon, let's get back inside so you can feed Philip before he latches on through your blouse because by the looks of it that's what he's started trying to do."

"While I do that you can get Jemma and Leo ready for bed" said Skye, flashing him a small seductive smile, as she pulled away from him and sashayed past him back into their house. "Then once all 3 of them are sound asleep for the night you're all mine, Grant."

"Sounds like a plan, sweetheart" said Grant, closing and locking the front door behind him, as a grin soon spread across his face at a pretty good day about to end on an even better night.


	11. A Second Chance

**And so this fic is back once more! :) I have a lot of plans/ideas for this fic with a couple of chapters already wrote out for it now since I've been working on certain ones along with typing up the holiday chapters I mentioned I'd be doing. However, before I can post the holiday chapters there are some others I want to post first like this one, which is something I just really wanted to do so I hope you enjoy! Feel free to let me know :)**

**Other chapters I want to post before getting to the holiday part of this fic are Jemma's 5th bday &amp; Leo's 3rd bday since I wrote them as 5 &amp; 3 from the holiday onwards. Plus ya'll wanna see their cute lil' bday parties, right? ^.^ **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. However, I do own my OC of Philip "Phil" Ward.**

* * *

**Chapter 11: A Second Chance**

It was nearly a week later before Skye and Grant saw anyone from the team again. Since then they'd all kept in touch with each other via phone and email since Skye had passed on their home phone number along with their personal cells and email addresses to Coulson before they'd all left. They also kept in touch via Skype and had since had many family Skyping chats back and forth with each other, which generally always ended up being more so Jemma and Leo taking over as they'd babble on nonstop to everyone about anything and everything. The team weren't set to take the long journey to see them again until Jemma's 5th birthday party, which now wasn't too far away, but regardless of that nearly one week later two members of the team had decided to pay the Ward family an impromptu visit...

* * *

Grant was outside in his spacious front garden playing Frisbee with the family's black and white Border Collie dog, Biscuit, when he suddenly heard a nearby car coming to a halt from behind him. Spinning around he couldn't help but smile when he saw Coulson's beloved 1962 Chevrolet Corvette, known as Lola, park just outside of his front gate and white picket fence, where he could clearly see Coulson in the driver's seat accompanied by May in the passenger seat. However, there was no sign of FitzSimmons or Tripp in the backseat this time.

"Couldn't last the whole 3 weeks I see?" chuckled Grant, as he made his way over towards the gate.

"It's a lot harder to stay away than I thought it would be" replied Coulson with a small smile at him. "So I thought another little visit was in order."

"You know you're more than welcome anytime" said Grant, smiling, as he unlocked the gate and quickly ushered them into the garden so he could close and lock the gate again before Biscuit came bounding over and attempted to escape. "Skye will be more than thrilled to see you both."

"We're looking forward to seeing her too, as well as our grandchildren" smiled Coulson.

"Depending on how many hours you plan on staying I'm afraid you can only see one of them right now and that's Philip who's inside with Skye" said Grant. "Because Jemma is currently at school and Leo is at nursery. They'll both be there for a few more hours yet."

"That sucks" sighed Coulson heavily. "Oh well, I guess one out of three is better than none at all."

"And by that he means at least he gets to see his favourite grandchild" said May with an eye roll.

"Hey now! I don't have favourites!" said Coulson defendingly. "I love all of my grandchildren equally!"

"Mhm, sure you do" said May, quirking a brow at him. "Just like you say you love all of your children equally but everyone knows that Skye is your true favourite."

"Because Skye is my only child!" exclaimed Coulson.

"FitzSimmons and Tripp are practically your surrogate children too. So altogether you've got 4 children and you know it" said May, as she casted her eyes over towards Grant. "And an extra one in Ward via marriage to Skye."

"I'm surprised I'm even included" chuckled Grant quietly, smiling a little at the fact that he was though. "So, are we all going inside to surprise Skye with your visit?"

"I can't wait" nodded Coulson, smiling, as he turned and set off towards the house quite eagerly.

"Why exactly are you guys here without FitzSimmons and Tripp?" asked Grant curiously, glancing over towards May, as they followed after Coulson.

"FitzSimmons are working at The Hub today and Tripp tagged along since he's got a crush on one of the receptionist's on the front desk and was simply going to flirt with her" replied May. "They don't know we're here or they would have instantly dropped everything to come with us. But Coulson and I wanted to come alone since there's something we need to discuss with you and Skye, though mainly you."

"And what would that be?" asked Grant, once again curiously, as he furrowed his brows at her.

"You'll see soon enough" answered May simply.

"Does it have anything to do with the file that Coulson's got poorly hidden in his jacket?" asked Grant, brows still furrowed.

"I knew you'd noticed that" said May, laughing lightly. "One thing a specialist will always have is a keen eye."

"Comes in handy in ensuring I always keep my family safe and protected at all times" said Grant, stumbling on his feet a little when Biscuit suddenly came out of nowhere and spun around his legs. "Biscuit! Calm down, boy!"

"I still can't believe that dog is called Biscuit" commented May, as she frowned down at the dog before her who was now getting his ears petted by Grant.

"Neither can I sometimes" chuckled Grant. "But what my son wants my son gets."

"You and Skye spoil all of your children don't you?" asked May, smiling a soft smile.

"As much as we can" said Grant, as he stood to his feet and faced her. "We weren't when we were growing up so we're making up for it all with our own children."

May just continued to smile at him softly while nodding her head in silent understanding, before then whipping her head around to face the house when Skye's loud high pitched squeal was suddenly heard.

"By the sound of it I'm guessing Coulson found her" chuckled Grant.

"Of course he did" said May, as she turned and set off walking into the house to go and see her daughter.

"C'mon, Biscuit, let's go and see what they want, yeah?" said Grant to his dog, as he ushered him into the house and shut the front door behind him.

* * *

A little while later saw the four of them all congregated in the living room with Coulson and May seated on one of the cream coloured sofas opposite of Skye and Grant, who were also seated on one of the cream coloured sofas. They were all currently just relaxing back drinking tea, munching on biscuits and casually talking amongst themselves. Sitting in the middle of both sofas was Biscuit the dog wagging his tail back and forth constantly, as he begged for the things in which he'd been named for, eventually succeeding in getting one every so often from Grant and occasionally even from Coulson.

"So what exactly is it that brings you both here just on your own?" asked Skye from where she sat beside her husband, as she gently rocked her young son, Philip, back and forth in her arms. "Not that I'm not happy to see you both because trust me I am."

"I missed you and wanted to see you again" said Coulson, as he smiled at the sight of Skye gently rocking his young grandson back and forth in her arms, cooing over him every so often. He couldn't deny the fact that motherhood was something that definitely suited Skye.

"As well as the fact we came here to discuss something with the two of you" added May, also smiling at the sight of Skye happily cradling and cooing over her young son.

"Yeah, that too" nodded Coulson.

"What did you want to discuss with us?" asked Grant a little nervously. Ever since he'd noticed the poorly concealed file in Coulson's jacket his nerves had been slowly starting to set in over what it could possibly contain. As far as he was concerned there was no way it could be anything good if they'd had to come out to see them alone with FitzSimmons and Tripp not accompanying them this time around.

"It's something really important" said Coulson, as he slowly reached inside his jacket and pulled out the hidden file. "Something that you have to see to believe."

"Oh god!" exclaimed Skye suddenly, gulping a little. "Someone else has found out where me and Grant are and you've come here with fake identities for us both to help us hide and flee again haven't you?!"

"No, Skye, we haven't!" laughed May, shaking her head at her daughter. "I swear to you that's not what this is."

"Then what it is?" asked Grant impatiently, as he was now more eager than ever to know.

"Take a look for yourself, Ward" said Coulson, leaning forward in his seat towards Grant and handing him the file, as he then sat back and flung his left arm around May's shoulders.

May more than happily cosied up to his side while shifting her attention back over towards where Grant and Skye sat.

"So what is it then?" asked Skye curiously, glancing over towards her husband.

"It's my S.H.I.E.L.D. file" replied Grant, as he stared at the file in his hands, frowning and looking up towards Coulson and May. "Why have you given me my old S.H.I.E.L.D. file?"

"I've given you your new S.H.I.E.L.D. file not your old one" said Coulson with a smile. "Skye also has a new and improved one but I didn't bring it with me. It's yours I really wanted you to see anyway, so there it is."

"But why do me and Skye need S.H.I.E.L.D. files again?" asked Grant, brows furrowed. "There better not be anything in these files about my children, Coulson."

"Don't worry, Ward, because there isn't" sighed Coulson. "There is no mention in either of your files about where the two of you currently are or the fact that you're now married with 3 young children and there never will be."

"Good" sighed Grant in relief. "But that still doesn't explain why we both need S.H.I.E.L.D. files again since we're no longer agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Why don't you open it and find out?" suggested Coulson, smirking slightly. "Have a quick read through it and tell me what's missing."

"What do you mean what's missing?" asked Skye, shifting her now sleeping baby son in her arms so he was nestled securely in the crook of her left arm and happily suckling away on his blue pacifier.

Coulson and May just smiled a little cryptically at their daughter, as they both chose to remain silent while watching Grant open the file in his hands and start to flick through the pages tentatively, frowning nonstop as he did so.

"So what's the overall verdict?" asked Skye after a few minutes and still no answer from her husband as to what was in the file, or lack thereof even.

"It's completely clean" said Grant, glancing over towards his wife.

"Clean of what?" asked Skye, quirking a brow.

"Everything" replied Grant. "HYDRA, Garrett and all of the people that I killed. Every single bad thing that I did isn't there. It's completely S.H.I.E.L.D. through and through. The question now is why is it clean and wiped of everything I've ever done?"

"Because I'm the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. that's why..." said Coulson, trailing off momentarily to flash them both a smile when they glanced over towards him. "...and I have the power and authority to exonerate anyone of any and all crimes they committed in the past if I wish."

"Wait a minute..." said Grant, as he processed all that Coulson had just said to him. "...you've exonerated me of all of my past crimes I committed?"

"I have indeed" smiled Coulson. "You've now got a clean slate and all trace of your past crimes and ties with HYDRA are now all missing from your file. It's almost as if they never even existed in the first place."

"But why would you do that?" asked Grant, dumbfounded. "Why would you suddenly erase it all and forget about everything that I did in the past?"

"Trust me when I say that I haven't forgotten anything and that I never will" said Coulson with a small frown. "Because all the things that you did are hard to forget. But they can be forgiven, to which I have now forgiven you, Ward. Though I've done it all more so for Skye and your children than I have for you."

"But what does it all ultimately mean?" asked Skye, locking her eyes onto her father's. "You may have done this for me and my children but that won't have been the only reason knowing you as well as I do."

"A second chance" said Coulson, smiling at his daughter as well as Grant. "You no longer need to constantly look over your shoulder for fear you're going to be apprehended by S.H.I.E.L.D. and separated from each other or your children. By exonerating Ward of all of his past crimes for HYDRA it means that you can both finally live in peace with your children and finally feel safe no matter where you are in the world. You're finally free, Ward."

"I have no idea what to say" said Grant quietly, failing to disguise his breath hitching slightly in his throat. "Except thank you, Coulson."

"Thank you is more than enough, Ward" smiled Coulson. "I don't expect anything else from you. I just wanted you all to finally be free of running and hiding."

"You can now both come out of hiding" said May with a smile. "You can both come home."

"We can be a team again" added Coulson, also smiling. "We can be a family again."

Upon hearing that Grant turned in his seat to face his wife and cast her a wary and apprehensive look, noting that she too was casting him one of her own. It was those shared looks of wariness and apprehension between them that allowed them both to know that they shared the same mind frame of even though it meant the absolute world to them both at hearing that they no longer needed to run and hide that they were more than happy to do so, or at least the stay hidden part. They would always miss being a part of the team and living with the others on the Bus but they now had their own home where they were happily settled with their children. And it was where they both ultimately wanted to stay.

"This is our home..." said Skye, trailing off, her eyes still locked with those belonging to her husband.

"...and we're happy here" continued Grant, flashing his wife a smile.

"You won't return back to the team or the Bus with us will you?" asked Coulson sadly, already knowing the answer deep down.

"I'm sorry, dad, but we just can't" said Skye just as sadly. "This house is our home. We're all happy here and we love it. We have a few close friends, Grant has a job doing local construction work, I'm a happy little housewife, Jemma goes to an amazing school and Leo to an amazing nursery to which they both have friends at and we're all just really happily settled here."

"I appreciate everything that you've recently done for me, Coulson, I truly do and I always will" said Grant, smiling at his former boss. "But we can't return to living on the Bus with 3 young children, a dog and 2 guinea pigs, because they'd all have to come too. But it's not even really about space issues and living on an aeroplane again but more so about everything that Skye said, as well as the fact that personally for me I want my children far away from S.H.I.E.L.D. as possible."

"I'm with Grant on that one too" said Skye, sitting up and smiling at her husband while being careful not to wake her still sleeping baby son in her arms. "We want what's best for all of our children and for them to keep on living as normal a life as we can possibly give them. I don't want them to ever know about S.H.I.E.L.D. or HYDRA or anything like that or that their parents were once ever a part of that world. I don't want my children growing up to be future S.H.I.E.L.D. agents."

"Neither do I" said Grant, smiling at his wife who he was more than happy to see agreed with him on everything. "We just want to be normal for once in our lives and continue to give our children everything that we never had growing up."

"Do you guys understand?" asked Skye tentatively, biting down nervously on her bottom lip.

"More than you know, baby girl" smiled Coulson while sighing. "We all wish to live more normal and carefree lives deep down too, but unfortunately we don't always get it. But you and Ward have managed it and you deserve to keep the life that you've built up for yourselves more than anything else."

"We won't take that away from you so don't worry" said May, glancing over towards Grant. "But regardless of everything you're still exonerated of your crimes and you're still free, Ward. If you and Skye ever wanted to visit the team and come and check out the new, improved and a lot bigger Bus then you're more than welcome. You wouldn't be arrested or apprehended by anyone anymore."

"Thank you, May" said Grant, nodding and smiling at her. "It means a lot what you've both done for me and I honestly do appreciate it. But for now me and Skye are happy where we are that allows us to be a nice, normal and content little family just living in the countryside together."

"We understand" nodded May. "No worries."

"We'll still come out to visit you guys whenever we all get the chance too and we'll still keep the fact that where you are is a secret from everyone else just so you're all left to live in peace if anything" said Coulson, as he glanced back and forth between Skye and Grant. "After everything the two of you have been through in the past and over the years then something as simple as peace is more than you both deserve."

"Thank you, dad" smiled Skye. "That means a lot to hear. You have no idea."

"I guess if the two of you are wanting to keep your children as far away from all things S.H.I.E.L.D. as possible then me and Phil should probably stop mentioning the super awesome Ninja Academy as your daughter now calls it whenever we're around her" laughed May.

"Yes, you should!" said Skye sternly. "You guys should start saying you've retired or something because it's not like she'll ever know any different."

"We'll do our best to make her forget everything about it" said May, still laughing. "Don't worry."

"Okay, so, I need a cuddle from my little grandson before me and Melinda get going, as we really need to in the next few minutes in order to get back to the Bus before FitzSimmons and Tripp return from The Hub and find us missing" said Coulson, as he stood to his feet and walked over towards his daughter with his arms outstretched for little Philip.

"Whatever you do don't wake him up as it's round about the time that he has his nap now, okay?" said Skye, as she carefully handed her son over to her father while doing her best not to jostle him too much and wake him from his sleep.

"I'll do my best" said Coulson, as he returned to May's side and sat down next to her, where he then instantly cuddled little Philip tightly to his chest.

May smiled at her fiancé as he sat down next to her, soon leaning back against the sofa and leaning into his side with her head ever so casually resting on his shoulder, as she smiled down at her tiny grandson sleeping contently against his chest. She failed to resist the urge to reach out her right hand and lightly run her fingers through her grandson's tufts of brown hair tenderly, as she then ever so quietly and gently leaned forward and placed a soft kiss upon his tiny forehead.

"I'm starting to think that one day in the future you might have a little brother or sister running around" whispered Grant into his wife's ear as quietly as he could so Coulson and May didn't hear him.

"I'm starting to think so too" whispered Skye right back, laughing and smiling as she did so.

"Not a chance" said May without looking up from smiling down at her grandson, as she'd heard them despite their attempts to be quiet.

"Never say never, Mel" said Coulson, chuckling, who'd also managed to hear everything clearly.

May merely glared at him in response, as Skye and Grant simply laughed to themselves over on the other sofa.

* * *

Once Coulson and May had got more than enough cuddles in with their grandson they'd reluctantly left after hugging and saying goodbye to both Skye and Grant while promising that they'd be back again really soon and no doubt once again before Jemma's birthday, as they'd then left them both alone once more after Philip had been put down for his nap in his nursery.

"So how does it feel to finally be free, Mr. Ward?" asked Skye, as she smiled up at her husband and looped her arms around his neck.

"Pretty damn good, Mrs. Ward" smiled Grant, as he slid his arms around her waist and back peddled her towards one of the sofas in the living room until they'd tumbled down on top of it together.

"All I've gotta say is it's about time" sighed Skye happily.

"I'll say" smiled Grant, as he leaned down and claimed her lips to his own for a searing kiss.

"Easy there, tiger!" giggled Skye, as she broke their kiss to smile up at him. "I have house work and a million other different things to do before it's time for you to go and get Jemma from school and Leo from nursery."

"I think spending some quality alone time with your husband while our toddlers are out and our baby is asleep will be a lot more fun and satisfactory than the house work" grinned Grant devilishly. "Don't you think?"

"I never said it wouldn't be" said Skye, kissing the tip of his nose cutely. "But if I don't do the house work now then I'm never going to do it and especially if I get stuck in bed with you until our kids come home."

"How about I promise you that when I pick up our kids later I'll do all of the house work when they get home while you relax with them and entertain them, hmm?" suggested Grant with a wink.

"You just want your wicked way with me" said Skye, smirking.

"We have 2 toddlers and a baby, therefore we gotta take advantage of every opportunity of quiet when we can get it" said Grant, chuckling softly, as he wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"As long as we're careful since I'm still easing myself back onto the pill again" said Skye, as she tugged him towards her for a kiss. "Since the last thing we need right now is another baby."

"Agreed" said Grant, as he kissed her slowly and deeply. "At least for another 2 years then we can maybe, possibly, sorta have one more."

"Suggests the man who doesn't actually carry the baby for 9 months or spends hours upon hours of agonising labour bringing the baby into the world once those 9 months are up!" scowled Skye. "I think 3 children are more than enough for us to handle."

"Nah! I think we could handle one more in the future!" grinned Grant. "Besides, Jemma needs a little sister one day."

"Don't use our daughter needing a little sister as your excuse to simply wanting another little girl one day!" said Skye, sighing deeply. "Besides, there's no guarantee that's what we'd get."

"So we just keep on trying until we got another girl..." smirked Grant. "...but until then practice makes perfect."

And with that Grant dipped his head and reclaimed his wife's now slightly pouting lips with his own, as he then silenced her no doubt witty retort with a passionate kiss.


	12. Happy Halloween!

**So this chapter is my contribution towards Halloween this year and I hope you enjoy it! :) I'd intended to have it up while it was still Halloween but I've had a busy day handing out candy where I live amongst other things. But hey better late than never! ^.^ I hope ya'll enjoy what I did and like what I decided to dress everyone up as for Halloween, as I felt it fit them for this fic. Anyhoo, feel free to let me know what you think :)**

**NOTE: This is a pretty fluffy chapter because with the way the actual show is going lately I don't know about anyone else but I'm in need of a lot of fluff lately to get away from the angst of the show so...here ya go! xD**

**HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE! (Even tho it's a couple of hours late!) :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. However, I do own my OC's of Jemma Ward, Leo Ward &amp; Philip "Phil" Ward.**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Happy Halloween!**

"Velcome to ze House of Count Vard and his family!" drawled Grant with a dramatic flair and a bow upon opening his front door to Coulson, May, FitzSimmons and Tripp, all the while dressed in black trousers, a white silk shirt, black shoes, a black cape with a red middle and a fake pair of fangs on either side of his face next to a red drop of drawn on blood.

"What the hell man?!" snorted Tripp. "Count Vard?! Really?!"

"Vhy yes! I am Count Vard and zis is my house!" grinned Grant, as he bowed once more towards the living room door, indicating for them to enter. "Enter...if you daaaaaaaaare!"

"This is just absolutely priceless!" giggled Simmons, as she stepped into the house and followed the others into the living room where they were all doing their utmost best to hold in their snorts and laughter.

"Dude! Quit it! You sound like a raving French lunatic!" laughed Tripp. "Can you even hear yourself?!"

"I don't mean to sound French!" exclaimed Grant, sighing. "I'm trying to sound like I'm from Transylvania!"

"I think you're an okay sounding Dracula" said Fitz, flashing him a smile. "Just a little eccentric that's all."

"Thank you, Fitz" smiled Grant. "Me and Skye decided to let Jemma and Leo pick our costumes out this year and Leo picked Dracula for me so Dracula I am!"

"And what did Jemma choose for Skye?" asked Simmons curiously.

"Whoever is this Skye you speak of?!" giggled Skye, as she stepped into the living room and came to standstill beside her husband with a wink towards the others. She was wearing a black dress with black shoes and a pointy black witch's hat to match. When it came to her face it was covered in green face paint while her bare arms and legs were covered in green body paint. "Because the last time I checked my name was Ealphaba!"

"Oh my gosh!" squealed Simmons giddily. "You're Ealphaba from the musical _Wicked!"_

"Why yes I am!" beamed Skye before frowning. "Though I'm not quite sure if this is my young daughter's way of trying to hint to me that she thinks I'm wicked and mean or not."

"I don't think you're wicked, mummy! I just really like Ealphaba and just like her I think you're really pretty covered in green paint!" giggled Jemma from behind the living room door.

"Jemma Melinda Ward!" called out Skye. "Are you eavesdropping behind that door?!"

"Yes!" replied Jemma with another giggle. "Because I can't enter the room until I'm announced! Duh!"

"Oh, why of course! Did you forget that a royal Princess needs announced, Ealphaba?!" said Grant, winking at his wife as he walked past her towards the door and peeked around the corner. "Are you ready, Princess?"

"I was born ready, daddy!" giggled Jemma. "Now do your duty as my royal announcer!"

"As the royal announcer to the Princess it is with my greatest pleasure to announce to you all..." said Grant, facing everyone with a wide smile, as he slowly started to open the living room door. "...Princess Elsa of Arendelle!"

And at that Jemma twirled into the living room wearing Elsa from the movie _Frozen _sparkly and glittery blue dress with shoes to match, along with a blonde wig atop her head plaited into a ponytail just like Elsa's.

"Oh, aren't you just a pretty little Princess Elsa?!" exclaimed Simmons, smiling, as she crouched down onto the floor and held out her arms for a hug, smiling even more when Jemma instantly bounded towards her and ran right into her outstretched arms to hug her tightly.

"She's obsessed with _Frozen _along with anything Princess related" chuckled Grant, as he watched his young daughter hug her aunt, uncles and grandparents quite happily.

"Which is completely your fault since she's your little Princess and you indulge her every whim!" laughed Skye, sticking her tongue out at her husband.

"Nothing wrong with that, sweetheart" grinned Grant, as he dipped his head to kiss the tip of her nose, chuckling when she scrunched her nose up in protest like she always did whenever he did that.

"Okay! Lemme guess what y'all are!" exclaimed Jemma, as she stood back and eyed up her aunt Jemma and uncle Leo, tapping away at her chin in thought. "Hmm...I'm not sure. Magical teenagers?"

"That's right!" nodded Simmons, as she whipped out her wand from her robes pocket. "You may call me Hermione Granger!"

"And as for me..." beamed Fitz, as he too whipped out his wand from his robes pocket and pushed the glasses he was wearing further up his nose. "...you can call me Harry Potter!"

"Ohh, you're from Harry Potter!" exclaimed Jemma. "I'm not allowed to watch those films yet even though I wanna!"

"When you're a little bit older then you can because until then some of the themes within those movies are a little bit too dark and scary for you" said Grant, shaking his head at his young daughter.

"Besides, your aunt and uncle got it wrong!" said Skye, as she folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes at FitzSimmons. "Fitz should be Ron Weasley not Harry Potter!"

"Oh, relax!" laughed Fitz. "We're simply the friend's only version of Hermione and Harry that's all!"

"You better be!" said Skye, sticking her tongue out at them both.

"I know who uncle Tripp is!" yelled Jemma, as she started bouncing up and down excitedly. "I'd recognise Thor's hammer anywhere since mummy is obsessed with him and always telling me stories about him!"

"Oh does she now?" chuckled Tripp, as he scooped his bouncing niece up into his arms for a cuddle, as he then raised his replica of Thor's famous hammer Mjolnir high into the air triumphantly. "And yes I am indeed the mighty Thor, King of Asgard!"

"So cool!" giggled Jemma, as she then cast her eyes over towards her grandparents. "And you're both Avengers too!"

"I just have one question" said Skye, as she faced her father. "Why aren't you Captain America?! I thought for sure you'd be Cap out of all people that you could be!"

"Blame your mother" huffed Coulson, frowning at May standing beside him. "She wanted to be Romanoff and because of that I apparently had to be Barton!"

"Black Widow and Hawkeye at your service, Princess Elsa" smiled May, as she bowed down to her giggling granddaughter before her who was still in Tripp's arms. "Ignore your grumpy grandfather. He gets grouchier more with old age!"

"So does your grandmother!" chuckled Coulson, smirking at May when she cast him one of her famous death glares. "Don't dish it unless you can hack it, Mel."

"You seem to forget that just like Tasha I can deal you a roundhouse kick to your jugular!" glared May.

"And you seem to forget that just like Clint I've a quiver of arrows slung over my shoulder that I'm not afraid to use in self defense!" snickered Coulson.

"Ooookaaaay time out guys!" laughed Skye before they indeed made good use of their threats. "We've still two more costumes to unveil! Or don't any of you wish to see what Leo and Philip are wearing?!"

"Of course we do!" exclaimed Fitz excitedly. "I definitely want to see what Leo is wearing!"

"Just wait here and I'll go and get him" smiled Grant, as he left the room to retrieve his son.

"And I'll be back in a tick too with Philip!" clapped Skye excitedly, as she darted from the room after her husband.

"I think you'll like their costumes" said Jemma, smiling at everyone.

"I'm sure we'll love them, sweetie" smiled Simmons, as she tugged her niece from Tripp's arms and into her own. "So are you looking forward to trick or treating in a little bit?"

"Yes!" squealed Jemma. "Because this time you'll all be trick or treating with us!"

"We wouldn't have missed this Halloween with you all for the world" smiled Coulson. "So when your mummy called me and asked us all to come out to spend it with you we all jumped at the chance."

"Yay!" beamed Jemma. "Best Halloween EVER!"

"Are you guys all ready in there?!" came Skye's voice from behind the living room door.

"YES!" they all chorused in unison.

"Hawkeye, Black Widow and Thor I would like to officially present you with one of your fellow Avengers in the ever awesome..." said Grant, as he opened the door to reveal a rather proud looking Leo posing with his hands on his hips. "...Iron Man!"

"Oh, you've got his helmet and everything!" yelled Fitz quite excitedly, as he admired his little nephew wearing Iron Man's classic Iron Man suit complete with helmet.

"Yesa!" yelled Leo, as he started to zoom around the room quite hyperactively. "I has da powa of supa speed!"

"It's lookin' like we're all gonna be superheroes this Halloween!" chuckled Tripp. "We've nearly got all of the Avengers now!"

"It's just a shame we don't have a Cap..." grumbled Coulson, failing to resist flashing May a small scowl to which she just rolled her eyes at.

"Are you sure about that, dad?" said Skye, as she walked into the living room cradling Philip in her arms. "Because I think we've got the best lil' Cap right here."

Upon seeing his youngest grandson and tiny namesake Coulson's eyes immediately lit up as a wide smile spread across his face. Striding over towards his daughter he couldn't help but beam brightly upon closer inspection of his little grandson, as he more than happily scooped him from his daughter's arms and into his own while cooing over how handsome he looked dressed as a tiny little Captain America. "Oh, who's a handsome little Cap then, huh? Why you are! Yes you are! Oh, I can't believe you're a tiny little Captain America!"

"Who else was he gonna be?" laughed Skye, as she smiled at the cute little sight before her. "I figured you'd like seeing him dressed as Cap."

"We figured you'd most likely match though" chuckled Grant.

"I had to put my foot down to him being Captain America for another Halloween running" sighed May. "The two of you haven't lived with him for the past 5 years. One thing he always did around this time of year was make sure we all had time off so he could use it as an excuse to dress up as Captain America and pretend to be him no matter where we were in the world. I'll have to bring the photos proving it to you the next time we visit."

"Oh my god please do!" laughed Skye. "I just have to see them!"

"You're one to talk, Mel" said Coulson, smirking at her. "You're normally Catwoman."

"And I'm normally Batman" grumbled Tripp. "But this year we all had to be different people according to May."

"Quit your grumbling, Tripp" smirked May. "There's no harm in mixing things up every once in awhile."

"Dada! Dada! Dada! Dada! Dada!" shouted an excited Leo, as he tugged at his father's trousers impatiently. "Dadaaaaaaaaaaa!"

"What's up lil' man?" asked Grant, as he crouched down until he was eye level with his young son.

"I want candy, dada!" yelled Leo, as he started to attempt to tug his father from the room by his cape. "Let's go get candy!"

"Okay, okay, we're going!" chuckled Grant, as he found himself basically being dragged from the living room by his son. "You heard Iron Man everyone! Let's move out!"

"I feel like I should warn you all now that when my children eat candy they become hyper as all hell!" laughed Skye. "I hope you're all prepared for what is to come over the next few hours if they start eating their candy before returning home."

"If anyone can handle what is to come next then it's all of us because I think we've been up against a lot worse than two toddlers high on sugar" smiled May, as she and the others followed Skye and Jemma out of the living room with little Philip being cradled by his grandpa quite happily.

"If you say so, mom..." said Skye, trailing off to stifle a giggle, because unlike the rest of her family she knew exactly how easily excited and hyper her own children could become when they were high on sugar.

* * *

The night that Skye and Grant spent trick or treating with their three young children and former teammates that had fast become their family over the years was a night that neither one of them would ever forget for as long as they all lived. Biscuit the dog also quite happily joined them on their little outing with Tripp being more than happy to keep a tight hold of his leash so he didn't run off, every so often having to stop and bend down to pick up his glittery devil horns that kept falling off his head and putting them back on, courtesy of Jemma insisting that if he was coming too then he had to dress up as it was mandatory even for dogs.

Trick or treating with Skye, Grant, their three young children and family dog allowed the team to see exactly what it was like where they all now lived. Since they lived out in the countryside they only had a few nearby neighbours here and there that they more than happily introduced them too, along with the children that they all had. Once done they all moved on to the nearby town where more houses resided that they could visit who were all more than friendly and happily waiting for many trick or treaters with smiles across their faces, all the while armed to the hilt with candy for them, thus making both Jemma and Leo more than happy that they'd have plenty of candy to snack on when returning home later. Leo, however, did on more than one occasion sneak the odd sweet out of his Iron Man helmet, which he'd insisted on using to store his candy, and into his mouth.

Once they were finally done wandering around knocking on doors they soon made their way over towards a cosy looking cafe in the middle of town that was lit up with fairy lights and had pumpkins placed outside that were all different shapes and sizes. Once entering the team had been quite surprised to see that it was buzzing with many parents and their young children happily snacking on an assortment of Halloween themed cakes, muffins, cookies, chocolate bars and many other types of delicious treats courtesy of the owners of the cafe spending their free time rustling up all of the delicious goodness free of charge for everyone to enjoy together on Halloween. While Jemma and Leo more than happily ran around the cafe with their young friends Skye and Grant introduced their close friends to their family, where they were more than happy to witness them all get along quite nicely with each other.

As the night wore on and started getting later Leo eventually passed out fast asleep across his father's lap, while Philip cosied up to his grandfather and snoozed into the crook of his arm. The only one that remained completely alert and quite hyper was Jemma, as she continued to run around with her friends and Biscuit until it was time to call it a night and return back home.

* * *

"So did everyone have fun tonight?" asked Skye once they'd all returned home and were all settled in the living room spread out across the sofas and chairs.

"Oh, definitely!" smiled Simmons. "I felt like a child again!"

"I think being surrounded by so many small children all night helps to do that!" laughed Fitz. "I had a lot of fun too."

"I definitely did!" grinned Tripp. "Especially when two of Skye's single girlfriends wouldn't leave me alone towards the end of the night."

"Oh, we noticed!" laughed Skye, shaking her head at him.

"Everyone loves Thor, baby girl!" winked Tripp, laughing at Skye's eye roll in his direction.

"Tonight was definitely different to what we're normally used too" commented May, smiling as she did so. "Normally we just dress up for us and spend our nights together on the Bus with bowls of popcorn and candy watching countless horror movies throughout the night."

"So tonight was more than fun and something we all hope to be able to do again next year too" said Coulson, as he glanced down towards a contently sleeping Philip in his arms, soon smiling even more at how adorable he still looked dressed as Captain America.

"I think it's time he went to bed" said Skye, smiling at her father and baby son.

"This one too as he's completely out of it" said Grant, as he slowly rose to his feet with Leo in his arms who soon hooked his arms around his father's neck, his legs around his middle and rested his head atop his shoulder without waking up. "How about we take them up together?"

"Sounds good to me" smiled Coulson, as he too slowly rose to his feet so as not to wake his sleeping grandson. "Lead the way."

"You too, Jemma" said Grant, as he glanced back towards his daughter who was sitting cross legged on the floor in the middle of the room sorting out her candy into two different piles. "C'mon, bedtime."

"Don't be silly, daddy" said Jemma without even looking at him. "Princesses don't sleep on Halloween until they've sorted out their candy."

"Is that so?" chuckled Grant. "And how much longer does Princess Elsa require to sort out her candy?"

"As long as it takes" replied Jemma with a shrug of her shoulders.

"You've got as long as it takes for me and your grandpa to put your brothers to bed and then we'll be back for you" said Grant, as he turned to leave the room with Coulson.

"We'll see" said Jemma, as she flickered her eyes up towards her father with a sweet little smile across her face when he turned back to face her.

Grant just shook his head at his devious little daughter while Skye, May, Tripp and FitzSimmons merely started laughing at the little exchange between father and daughter.

* * *

"Philip's room is straight ahead" said Grant when he reached the top of the stairs with Coulson by his side, as he indicated towards the slightly ajar door at the end of the hall. "Leo's room is right next door and that's where I'll be."

"Okay" nodded Coulson, as he set off towards Philip's room with Philip cradled in his arms. "I'll get him changed and settled. I've got this so don't worry."

Grant just chuckled softly at the sight of Coulson cooing over his grandson while walking towards his room and disappearing inside. Striding over towards Leo's room he slipped inside and walked over towards his bed, where he then gently placed his son down on top of it.

"I stay Iron Man, dada..." mumbled Leo, trailing off to yawn and slowly flutter his eyes open to settle them upon his father.

"Hey there, lil' man" smiled Grant, as he sat down on the bed beside his son and reached out to ruffle his hair. "You wanna sleep in your Iron Man costume you mean?"

"Yesa" nodded Leo, yawning once more.

"That's fine with me" laughed Grant softly, as he started ushering his son underneath the duvet so he could tuck him into bed. "C'mon, in you get there's a good lil' boy."

Leo more than happily burrowed underneath the duvet and allowed himself to be tucked in. Smiling a lazy smile up at his father he soon extended his arms out towards him for a goodnight hug. "Night, night, dada."

"Night, night, Leo" said Grant, as he happily leaned forward to hug his son goodnight, smiling as he did so and placing a tender kiss to his cheek when he pulled away. "Sweet dreams, my lil' Iron Man."

Leo simply smiled a little goofy smile up at his father at hearing that before burrowing further underneath the duvet and closing his eyes.

Sighing contently Grant rose to his feet, switched on the night light beside his son's bed and quietly slipped from the room so as not to wake him. "You're a good father, Ward" came Coulson's voice from behind him, which instantly made him spin around to face him.

"I can easily see how much your children love and adore you" said Coulson, smiling.

"Thank you" said Grant, smiling back. "My children mean the absolute world to me. I can't imagine my life without them now."

"You'll never have too" said Coulson. "Me and the team will always make sure of that. You, Skye and your children will never be parted and will always be safe."

Grant just smiled at him once more while nodding at him in appreciation. "Did you manage to get Philip down without too much of a fuss?"

"I did" nodded Coulson. "I changed his diaper before placing him in his crib."

"Is he by any chance still wearing his Captain America costume?" asked Grant, brow quirked.

"What do you think?" chuckled Coulson. "He looked far too adorable to place him in mere normal pyjamas."

"Don't sweat it" chuckled Grant. "Leo's sleeping in his Iron Man costume for the night too."

"You two are just complete and utter putty in their hands!" laughed Skye, as she walked up the stairs towards them with Jemma draped over her shoulder and sound asleep.

"Says the woman who is no doubt going to relent in letting our daughter sleep dressed as Elsa too!" smirked Grant.

"I'd like to see you try and wrestle Jemma out of this dress because she'll wake up the moment you try and you know it!" said Skye, rolling her eyes at her smirking husband.

"I'll let the two of you put her down for the night" said Coulson, leaning down to place a tender kiss atop his granddaughter's cheek. "I'll see you both downstairs when you're ready as I'm afraid me and the others will all have to get going soon before it gets any later."

"Already got you covered there, dad" smiled Skye. "You guys are all spending the night here. I discussed it with mom, FitzSimmons and Tripp downstairs and they all agreed they'd love to spend the night and be around when the kids wake up in the morning to start devouring all of their candy."

"Are you sure you don't mind us all staying?" asked Coulson. "I didn't think you guys had any spare bedrooms."

"We have one spare room next to mine and Grant's which you and mom can have" smiled Skye. "FitzSimmons and Tripp will have to sleep on the sofas in the living room which they're fine with. I'm gonna get them some pillows and blankets when I've put Jemma to bed."

"Are you really sure?" asked Coulson, smiling.

"It's really no trouble at all" said Grant, also smiling. "You're our family and occasionally families spend the night. If it's fine with Skye then it's fine with me too. Plus, the kids'll love waking up to finding you guys still hanging around in the morning."

"Well in that case I'd be honoured to stay" said Coulson happily.

"Then that's settled!" beamed Skye. "I'll see you and the others downstairs after I've put Jemma to bed and then snuck into the boys' rooms to kiss them goodnight."

"Sure thing, baby girl, I'll see you both downstairs" smiled Coulson at them both, as he walked past her and headed downstairs to return to the others in the living room.

"You don't mind I asked them all to stay the night do you?" asked Skye, turning to face her husband once her father was downstairs and out of earshot.

"Of course I don't mind, babe" said Grant, as he leaned down towards her and kissed her softly. "I think it'll be kinda nice waking up in the morning and being surrounded by the old team again just like the good ole' old days."

"That's what I thought too" smiled Skye, as she leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed her husband once more.

"Mummy stop kissing daddy because I'm tired" groaned Jemma, as she lifted her head up to face her parents with only one eye open.

"I think our little Princess needs her beauty sleep!" grinned Grant, as he reached out towards Skye and lifted Jemma from her arms and into his own.

Jemma merely murmured her agreement as she nestled her head against her father's chest and allowed her eyes to flutter closed once more.

"Alright, Princess, let's get you tucked into bed" chuckled Grant, as he walked into his daughter's room to tuck her into bed with Skye following after him.

* * *

Once Jemma was all tucked up in bed, lightly snoring away and still wearing her Elsa costume Skye and Grant both kissed her on her cheek goodnight and quietly slipped from her room without waking her up, with Grant hitting the switch to her night light on his way out. Skye then quickly and ever so quietly slipped into Leo's room to give him a goodnight kiss before joining her husband to quietly slip into Philip's room and give him a kiss goodnight too, where she couldn't help but linger for an extra few minutes to smile lovingly down at her sleeping baby son dressed as Captain America.

"Penny for your thoughts?" whispered Grant, as he came to stand behind his wife, slipping his arms around her waist as he did so and tugging her backwards into his embrace so she was leaning against his chest.

"I'm just thinking how much I enjoyed today with our family" whispered Skye, as she more than happily leaned into her husband's loving embrace and placed her hands atop of his that were wrapped around her waist. "I never thought we'd ever get to a spend a day like today with the team but I'm really glad that we did."

"Me too" whispered Grant while smiling, kissing her cheek tenderly, as he then rested his head in the crook between her shoulder and neck. "Here's to many more."

"First comes Halloween followed by Jemma's birthday and then it's Christmas!" whispered Skye excitedly. "Ah, I can't wait!"

"Neither can I" chuckled Grant, whispering as he did so. "C'mon, let's sneak out before we wake him up."

Smiling tenderly down at her baby son once more Skye then switched on his night light and quietly sneaked out of his room after her husband, as they then more than happily walked down the stairs together hand in hand to re-join the others in the living room.


	13. Jemma's 5th Birthday

**Here's the first of the birthday chapters for ya'll ^.^ The second one will be Leo when he turns 3 but until then I've planned a couple of little fluffy family chapters. The final birthday chapter will be for Phil when he turns 1 but that one is a little while off yet since he's going to remain a baby for a little bit longer. Anyway, I hope you enjoy what I did with this chapter and for Jemma's birthday :) I did originally contemplate writing in a lot of her friends but honestly it would've been far too many OC's to keep track of and the 3 little Ward children are quite the handful as it is already lol! Until next time I hope you enjoy this chapter :) **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. However, I do own my OC's of Jemma Ward, Leo Ward and Philip "Phil" Ward.**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Jemma's 5****th**** Birthday**

"You're here!" exclaimed Grant upon opening the front door to Coulson, May, FitzSimmons and Tripp on the day of his daughter's 5th birthday. "All I've gotta say to that is finally!"

"Running a little ragged are you?" asked Coulson, chuckling.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that" replied Grant, chuckling also, as he ushered them all inside the house while keeping a tight hold of his baby son, Philip, who was currently gurgling away to himself over his shoulder. "You're all just in time to help me get the kids all set and ready for the party while Skye finishes putting the finishing touches to the cupcakes in the kitchen."

"You sure Skye's not sneakily snackin' on those cupcakes?" chuckled Tripp.

"Oh, she probably is!" laughed Grant. "Wanna go and make sure she actually leaves some for my daughter and her soon-to-be arriving party guests?"

"You got it, man" nodded Tripp, as he set off towards the kitchen. "Yo, Skye! I best not walk into that kitchen and find you snackin' on them cupcakes!"

"You womf!" came Skye's slightly muffled voice. "I swerf!"

"Back away from the cupcake, girl!" came Tripp's chuckling voice once more. "In fact gimme one and I'll let you off just this once."

"Maybe I should've sent Simmons instead of Tripp?" said Grant with a sigh.

"That's only a good idea if there isn't a bowl of chocolate mix and a wooden spoon lying nearby" said Simmons, smirking.

"I'll keep that in mind for future reference" chuckled Grant.

"Okay, so what can we all do to help you out?" asked Fitz with a smile.

"How about you help me find your namesake who is running around the house somewhere in just a diaper because he refuses to get dressed?" said Grant, laughing, as he then turned to face Simmons. "Would you mind going upstairs to check on Jemma and make sure that she's getting dressed? Some of her friends should be arriving shortly."

"Not a problem" smiled Simmons, as she happily made her way up the stairs towards her young niece's bedroom. "I've got this."

"And I'll help you find little Leo-"

"UNCA LEO! UNCA LEO! UNCA LEO!" yelled Leo, as he suddenly came running from the living room and out into the corridor in nothing but a diaper, where he bounded straight for his uncle and promptly cutt him off midsentence from what he'd started to say.

"Hey, lil' Leo!" exclaimed Fitz happily upon seeing him, as he bent down to scoop him up into his arms.

"Don't put him down whatever you do" said Grant to Fitz. "Because the moment you do he will make a run for it again."

"Duly noted" nodded Fitz.

"GWAMPA!" yelled Leo, as he waved at his grandpa to get his attention before then doing the same to his grandma. "GWAMA!"

"Hi, Leo" said Coulson, smiling fondly at his young grandson. "Are you looking forward to the party?"

"It not my party" replied Leo with a nonchalant shrug.

"But yours won't be too far behind your sisters" smiled May softly.

"YESA!" yelled Leo excitedly, as he punched a tiny fist into the air. "Then I'll be a big boy!"

"Okay, soon-to-be big boy how about you come on a little adventure with me and your uncle Leo?" asked Grant, smiling at his son while flashing Fitz a devious smirk since they both knew the adventure was to simply get Leo into more than just the diaper he was running around in.

"Can I take lil' Phil while you all go on your adventure?" asked Coulson, his hands already extended out towards his baby grandson in advance.

"I saw that question coming" laughed Grant, as he placed a soft, tender kiss atop his baby son's forehead before handing him over towards Coulson.

"Go attend to Leo as me and Melinda are perfectly fine with the baby" said Coulson, as he set off towards the living room quite happily cradling his grandson in his arms.

"I believe he's due a diaper change..." said Grant, as he turned to head up the stairs and tugged Fitz by his arm after him. "...thought you might like to know that."

"Yeah, thanks..." said Coulson, trailing off to crinkle his nose up a little while turning back towards his fiancée with a smile. "...want to be a doting grandmother, Mel, and change his-"

"Nope!" said May, as she promptly brushed past him into the living room and headed straight for the kitchen to see how Skye and Tripp were getting along with the cupcakes.

"Guess it's just me and you then, kid" said Coulson, glancing down at his grandson who was staring up at him with one of the cutest little smiles he'd ever seen in his life, as a tiny little spit bubble was forming in the corner of his mouth.

"Just so you know that's his poop face" said Skye, as she passed by her father on her way to check on her daughter, kissing her baby son tenderly on his forehead and her father on his cheek as she passed them both to head up the stairs.

"How lovely..." mumbled Coulson under his breath.

* * *

A little over 35 minutes later the first of Jemma's party guests had started arriving until the house was nearly all but full of giggling and rather hyper little girls ranging from ages 4 to 7, along with the odd little boy that were the little brothers of some of the girls that Leo happily took it upon himself to entertain once Grant and Fitz had successfully got him dressed after a long battle, only winning it when they'd given in to him running around dressed as a tiny Spiderman that definitely looked out of place surrounded by constant little Princesses that were running around courtesy of Jemma and her friends.

When it came to the birthday girl herself she was dressed up as Belle from _Beauty and the Beast _in a flowing yellow dress just like Belle had worn when dancing with the Beast in the ballroom. The role fitted little Jemma perfectly since the theme for her birthday party was none other than Disney Princesses. She'd chosen to be Belle since she was one of her favourites and because she'd already been Princess Elsa from _Frozen_ for Halloween. Though before she'd eventually settled on being Belle she'd briefly toyed with the idea of being Elsa's sister Anna from _Frozen,_ before deciding that she preferred Belle and loved her yellow dress more than Anna's pink one.

Due to the theme of Jemma's party being Disney Princesses the entire house was decorated with all things Disney Princess related that you could think of. There were banners and streamers everywhere be them on the inside of the house in the living room and kitchen or even on the outside of the house, front and back, with the front of the house sporting a gigantic banner saying the words _'Happy 5__th__ Birthday, Jemma!' _sprawled out across it as Disney Princesses such as Belle, Aurora, Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel and Tiana looked on.

Outside in the spacious backyard there was not one, not two, but three gigantic bouncy castles that were of course Disney Princess themed and had countless children constantly occupying them. On the patio were countless tables littered with cupcakes that each had a different Disney Princess residing on the top, as well as countless bowls of crisps, chocolate dip, rainbow drops, pic 'n' mix and a wide assortment of different types of candy bars. There were even Disney Princess themed Piñata's hanging up that many a different small child were doing their best attempt to whack apart and claim the goodies inside.

As their two eldest children happily ran around with their friends, as well as Biscuit the family dog, Skye and Grant happily hung back taking it in turns to hold their youngest son, who was refusing to nap due to all of the noise and excitement coming from his big sister's birthday party. Throughout the day Grant and Skye happily did their best to entertain the many children at their daughter's birthday party along with their family since they were the only grown ups at the house, as the parents to their daughter's young friends would all be returning before the night set in to pick up their young children.

* * *

"DADDY!" yelled Jemma, as she darted over towards where her father was standing with her mother, grandparents, uncles and aunt. "DADDY!"

"What's up, Princess?" asked Grant, as he bent down towards his daughter until he was eye level with her.

"Will you come and play with me and my friends?" asked Jemma, as she smiled sweetly up at her father. "We need a royal butler."

"Do you now?" chuckled Grant.

"Yes, we do. So will you be our royal butler?" asked Jemma, still smiling sweetly up at her father, as she kept her hands fixed firmly behind her back.

"Why of course, Princess" smiled Grant, kissing her tenderly on her forehead. "Anything for you."

"That's what I was hoping you'd say!" beamed Jemma brightly, as she promptly pulled out a sparkly gold tiara that had a purple flower in the middle of it, which Ariel from _The Little Mermaid _resided in the middle of smiling away. "And here's a tiara just for you!"

The snort that was clearly heard and quickly muffled not long after came from none other than May, as she buried her face into the crook of Coulson's neck to hide her continuous snorts and few giggles that were able to slip out before she could stop them.

"Ooh! A pretty tiara just for me!" exclaimed Grant, as he took the tiara from his daughter and placed it atop his head with a smile. "I look fabulous don't I?!"

"Very much, daddy!" giggled Jemma, as she reached out to hug her father, soon squealing loudly when he suddenly jumped to his feet with her in his arms and swung her around in a circle. "Daddy, be careful! My tiara will fall off!"

"Don't worry, Princess, because you're royal butler will always pick it back up for you!" chuckled Grant, as he strode down the steps of the patio with his daughter in his arms and towards where she'd left her friends near one of the bouncy castles. "Never fear, Princesses, for your royal butler is here!"

"Did Ward seriously just place a sparkly tiara on his head without even so much as batting an eyelid about doing so before running off to quite happily be a Princess?!" exclaimed Tripp incredulously.

"He ran off to be a royal butler, Tripp, not a Princess" giggled Skye, as she happily watched her husband not far from her parade around like a girl with his hand on his right hip while showing off his tiara to their daughter and her friends, who were all currently giggling like a bunch of hyenas at him doing so. "This is just one of the many things that he'll do for her without even so much as a care in the world."

"It's little things like this that make him such a good father" smiled Simmons, as she watched him laugh and scream like a girl while attempting to run away from all of the little Princesses that had now started to chase him around the backyard.

"He sure is" smiled Skye proudly. "I can't deny that I picked myself a good man when I fell for him, married him and decided he'd be the perfect father for my children."

"So no regrets at all?" asked Coulson, brow quirked curiously.

"Not one" answered Skye instantly with a shake of her head. "Our past is exactly that. Our past. We only focus on the present and our future now."

"And we wouldn't have it any other way" said Coulson, smiling. "Not one of us."

"I'm a firm believer that our pasts don't have to define us" said May, smiling softly. "It's how we choose to embrace our futures that truly shape us into becoming whoever we choose to become throughout our lives."

Smiling at each other quite happily they all soon turned their attention back towards Grant who had since been captured by the little Princesses chasing him and was currently being held down while they all sat on him, proceeding to tickle him to death in the process, which was eliciting a lot of laughs from him. It was only a matter of time before little Leo locked on to his father's misfortune and promptly joined in with his sister and her friends' torturous tickles towards him.

* * *

As the day continued on and the night slowly started to settle in Grant had everyone gather around one of the larger tables out on the patio while Skye retrieved Jemma's birthday cake from the kitchen, which was just like everything else at her party and designed to fit the Disney Princess theme the party was based around. Upon seeing her large Belle from _Beauty and the Beast _birthday cake Jemma had squealed exceptionally loudly and had nearly made everyone go deaf in the process. After squeezing her eyes tightly shut to make her secret wish she'd quickly opened them and blown out her 5 candles in record time, as everyone around her had sang _'Happy Birthday!' _to her as loudly as they possibly could, with 3 equally as loud _'Hip! Hip! Hooray's!' _following afterwards. Once done Skye then cut the cake and passed the pieces around the table to her daughter's party guests, her young son, husband and family. Jemma had, naturally, taken the biggest piece for herself that just so happened to be Belle's smiling face.

Before it was time for all of the party guests to leave everyone had retreated back inside the house to gather inside the living room the best that they all could in order to watch Jemma sit down to open her many birthday presents. By the time she was finished opening every single one of them she'd ended up with countless dolls, teddy bears, dresses, skirts, shoes and practically everything you could think of when it came to as many Disney Princesses that you could name, which had mainly come off her parents, grandparents, uncles and aunt, since they all knew how much she adored anything and everything to do with Disney Princesses. By the time she was finished unwrapping and squealing over everything that she had gotten for her birthday Skye and Grant couldn't help but wonder to themselves how everything new she'd gotten was even going to fit into her bedroom. But knowing their young daughter as well as they did then they just knew that somehow she'd manage to find a place for everything eventually.

* * *

As the night finally settled in and the day came to a close Skye and Grant found that it was now just the two of them left standing, due to finding not only their two young toddlers passed out fast asleep in the living room but the rest of their family too.

"Who should we wake first?" asked Skye, as she glanced from her husband to where her parents were lying sprawled out across each other sound asleep on one of the sofa's. Shaking her head at the sight of them together she soon cast her eyes over towards where little Leo was happily cuddled up against the chest of his older namesake on the other sofa, while his big sister was contently cuddled in between her own sleeping namesake and uncle Tripp on the living room floor. "The younger kids or the older ones who just can't hack being around hyper children all day like we can?"

"I'm going with neither of them" said Grant with a small chuckle. "Let's just quietly and covertly sneak our children out from their arms and carry them up to bed. Then we'll sneak back down and throw a couple of blankets over them all before crashing out asleep in our own bed since it's been a really long day for us too."

"Sounds like a plan" agreed Skye, as she quietly sneaked her young son out from Fitz's arms, while her husband did the same with their young daughter from Simmons' and Tripp's arms.

Once their children were settled in to their beds as snug as bugs they'd both graced their tiny forehead's with tender kisses before tiptoeing into the nursery of their youngest son to kiss him goodnight too, as he'd been sound asleep in his crib for the past hour and a half.

As soon as they'd thrown some blankets over the others downstairs in the living room they'd switched off the light and quietly sneaked out of the room and back up to their bedroom, where they'd quickly stripped from their clothes and into their pyjama's to crash out together in their bed.

"Today was exhausting!" mumbled Skye sleepily against her husband's throat, as she cuddled up to him quite happily.

"Tell me something I don't know!" mumbled Grant just as sleepily into his wife's hair, as he wrapped his arms tighter around her and more than happily cuddled her closer to him.

"The highlight was definitely when you put the tiara on your head and pretended to be a royal butler by day and secret Princess wannabe by night!" snorted Skye.

"Jemma has me wrapped around her little finger" smiled Grant, yawning. "I would do anything for her."

"That's what makes you such an amazing father" smiled Skye, as she placed a loving kiss to the base of his throat.

"Thank you, sweetheart" smiled Grant, as he tenderly kissed her forehead. "You're an amazing mother too, y'know? After all you must've jumped on one of the bouncy castles with Jemma and Leo for at least an hour with no complaints!"

"I gotta say bouncing on that bouncy castle was pretty fun!" laughed Skye. "Especially when FitzSimmons joined us and did nothing but constantly lose their balance and fall over each other more than they did bounce up and down!"

"They're amazing down in a lab but extremely clumsy on a bouncy castle" chuckled Grant.

"Mhm" murmured Skye against his throat, as she then buried her face into the crook of his neck. "Time to sleep before someone wakes up for a diaper change, demanding to be breastfed or wanting us to check monsters aren't under their beds."

"I couldn't agree more" sighed Grant tiredly, as he cuddled completely against his wife and drifted off to sleep not long after she did.


	14. Run, Run, Rudolph!

**I've held this chapter back until today since it's set on Christmas Eve so what better day to post it than on Christmas Eve! I hope you enjoy the randomness that is this chapter ^.^ I'll next update this fic after the New Year so until then enjoy some Christmas fluff with the Ward's and their toddlers! :D**

**NOTE: The 3 new OC's I introduce into this chapter being the Murciano family will be 3 OC's you'll see again every now and then, especially Lourdes and eventually her little ones. In my head I picture them to be as follows ~ Seychelle Gabriel for Lourdes, Antonio Banderas for Carlos and Ana Ortiz for Ana ~ so feel free to Google those names to envision how I envision them, though I'm sure everyone knows who Antonio Banderas is lol! **

**(MERRY CHRISTMAS! ^_^)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. However, I do own my OC's of Jemma Ward, Leo Ward, Lourdes Murciano, Carlos Murciano and Anabel "Ana" Murciano.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the lyrics to _Run, Run, Rundolph! _as that would be _Luke Bryan _(or whoever wrote that song because all I know is he sings it). Feel free to look up the song to set the tune of how it goes in this chapter when you reach the song part! xD**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Run, Run, Rudolph!**

"Welcome to Murciano's Bar &amp; Grill!" said Skye with a smile to FitzSimmons and Tripp walking behind her, as she entered Murciano's while bouncing her young son Leo on her left hip, who was suckling on his blue pacifier that had an L emblazoned on it in white.

"Coulson and May would've loved this place!" said Simmons, as she glanced around the rather cosy looking bar and grill they were now in.

"Well it's their loss for deciding to stay behind and look after little Phil instead" said Grant, as he strolled into the bar behind them, his right hand tightly clasping the tiny one belonging to his young daughter Jemma.

"If you'd left little Leo and little Jemma behind like you did little Phil then me and Jems probably would've stayed behind too" said Fitz, as he too glanced around the bar.

"This is the place to be on Christmas Eve if you just wish to relax with your children and where all of the families that live in the town and just on the outskirts like me and Skye do" said Grant, ruffling his daughter's hair and simply laughing at her scowl she flashed up at him for daring to do so. "The first time we came here Jemma had just turned 2 and we'd yet to have Leo so this Christmas Eve just so happens to be Leo's first time here but it's Jemma's third."

"Can I go and find my friend now pleaseeeeee?!" whined Jemma, as she tried her best to tug her hand from her father's tight grip but failed in succeeding.

"In a minute, Jemma" said Grant, his grip simply tightening on her tiny hand in his larger one. "She might not even be here and I'm not going to have you running around the bar searching for her unsupervised."

"But she's _always _here, daddy. Because she's a _Murciano _so it's like her bar too!" sighed Jemma, rolling her eyes at her father.

"It's not her bar, Jemma. It's her mother and grandparents bar" said Grant, shaking his head at his young daughter.

"Whatever..." mumbled Jemma, sighing once more.

"She really is a mini you isn't she?" chuckled Tripp, flashing a wink in Skye's direction.

"Of course she is! And I'm very proud of that fact!" beamed Skye proudly.

Tripp just chuckled again before glancing around the bar and admiring it. "I gotta admit this bar is pretty sweet!"

"I'm glad you think so" came a soft sounding voice from around the corner, making them all turn to face the direction the voice had come from and soon settling on a young woman in her mid 20's of Spanish ethnicity. "Because I happen to think so too. But then I'm pretty biased at the end of the day since I jointly own this bar with my parents so naturally I think it's the greatest bar ever."

"Everyone I'd like you to officially meet Lourdes Murciano, the daughter of Carlos and Anabel Murciano and the owners of the bar" said Skye, smiling between everyone. "Lourdes, I'd like you to officially meet my friends Jemma, Leo and Tripp, who are pretty much also my surrogate brothers and sister."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lourdes" smiled Simmons, as she shook her outstretched hand.

"It's lovely to meet you, Lourdes" smiled Fitz, as he too shook her outstretched hand.

"The pleasure is all mine" smiled Lourdes warmly. "It's great to finally meet you both as Skye talks about you all the time. Though it's kinda hard not too when her daughter and son are named after you both though."

"Their eldest son is also named after me" smiled Tripp, as he approached her slowly with his right hand outstretched towards her. "Hi. I'm Antoine. It's nice to meet you, Lourdes."

"You too, Antoine" said Lourdes, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth when Tripp bent his head like a true gentleman to kiss her palm softly.

"Lourdes! Lourdes! Lourdes!" yelled Jemma, jumping up and down in front of her and tugging at her shirt. "Where's Gabby?! I wanna go and play with her!"

"Gabriella is in the play area just around the corner and playing with Dante" replied Lourdes, laughing softly, as she crouched down to Jemma's eye level and pinched her little cheeks. "She's been waiting for you to get here so you can go and play with her."

"YAY!" squealed Jemma happily, as she finally managed to tug herself from her father's tight grip and dash off around the corner before he could stop her while calling out loudly for her friend. "GABBYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

"Oh my god! And here I was thinking that Gabriella was the only little girl that could scream that loudly!" laughed an older woman that resembled Lourdes from around the corner, as she came to a halt beside her and followed by an older man who was also laughing.

"To be honest I think they compete to see who can yell louder!" laughed Lourdes, as she smiled at her parents before turning back to face the others. "Mom, Dad, these are Skye and Grant's friends Jemma, Leo and Antoine."

"So lovely to finally meet you both! I'm Anabel Murciano, but everyone calls me Ana" smiled Ana, as she shook their outstretched hands.

"And I'm Carlos Murciano the matriarch of the family" said Carlos, also smiling and shaking everyone's hands. "Are you all looking forward to spending a cosy little night at my bar and enjoying some of the beverages on offer?"

"Oh yes" nodded Simmons with a smile. "You've got a lovely little bar."

"I agree with Jems" smiled Fitz, also nodding his head.

"The bar's not the only thing that's lovely around here" said Tripp ever so casually under his breath before he could stop himself and while staring straight at Lourdes too. "Uh, I mean, umm... So, who wants drinks?!"

"Smooth, Tripp, real smooth" chuckled Grant, as he gave his friend a light smack on his back.

"Come with me" said Carlos, as he gestured for Tripp and FitzSimmons to follow him. "I will show you to the bar and get whatever drinks you wish free of charge. Any friends of the Ward's are friends of the Murciano's!"

"That's awfully kind of you, Mr. Murciano" smiled Simmons, as she happily followed him over towards the bar with Fitz by her side.

"Please call me Carlos, my dear, as Mr. Murciano was my father and I like to think of myself as far too young to be simply a Mr. just yet!" chuckled Carlos.

"I'm going to go and check on Gabriella and Dante and see if Jemma found them both okay" said Lourdes, smiling at Skye and Grant before brushing past Tripp before he detected the small blush that had slowly started to creep across her face.

"I'll join you, chicka" said Ana, as she too smiled at everyone before disappearing after her fleeing daughter.

"You have a crush on my friend don't you?!" asked Skye once they were both out of earshot, as she turned back to face Tripp with a smirk across her face.

"What?! Noooooo!" exclaimed Tripp a little too high pitched, as he shuffled about on his feet a little awkwardly. "...maaaaybeeeee. So?"

"Don't even think about it, Tripp" said Skye, furrowing her brows at him. "She's a single mom to two young children and the last thing she needs is you chasing her for a meaningless fling."

"So I take it Gabriella and Dante are her children?" asked Tripp curiously.

"That's right" answered Grant. "Gabriella is 2 years older than Jemma at 7 and Dante has recently turned 2. We met the Murciano's not long after we moved to this town and became instant friends with them, especially Skye and Lourdes. She already had Gabriella as she had her when she was only 17 and her father is no longer around. Dante's father is also out of the picture but that's because he died only a few months before Dante was born and not because he bolted like Gabriella's father did."

"Man, that's harsh" said Tripp, instantly feeling sorry for Lourdes being left to single handedly raise two young children on her own at only 24. "But it doesn't bother me that she's got kids. I love kids and I know I'm great with them as how I am with the 3 you guys have should prove that to you both!"

"Oh, Lord give me strength!" sighed Skye with a shake of her head, as she turned away from her husband and Tripp to head on over to the play area with Leo still in her arms. "I'll be back in a few minutes. I'm gonna see if Leo will play with Dante."

"Tripp, be careful around Lourdes..." said Grant in a slightly warning tone. "...she's not over Dante's father and I don't think she ever will be."

"What happened to him exactly?" asked Tripp, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"He was a Marine and used to come to this bar often whenever he got any leave. Lourdes used to always serve him and they eventually started dating. She fell pregnant with Dante after only a few months and he proposed to her before having to return to active duty again" replied Grant. "He died protecting some of his fellow comrades in Afghanistan before Dante was born. He never got to meet his son and it nearly destroyed Lourdes. She named him Dante after his father because he was called Dante too."

"Whoa, just whoa..." said Tripp, trailing off due to not knowing what else to say. "...I understand. No worries, man. I'll keep my distance. Besides, it's not wise to start anything with anyone that's not associated with S.H.I.E.L.D. since I can't tell her what I do for a living and why I wouldn't be around often."

"Exactly" said Grant, smacking him lightly on his shoulder as he walked past him towards the play area to check on Skye and their children, while Tripp made his way over towards the bar where FitzSimmons seemed to be sipping on eggnog through spiral straws.

* * *

A little while later saw Skye, Grant, Tripp and FitzSimmons all happily sitting and relaxing with each other in one of the many spacious booths that littered the Murciano bar, as they chatted amongst each other and simply enjoyed the time they were getting to spend with each other to catch up as the close friends they had slowly become once more.

As their parents happily chatted amongst each other Jemma and Leo more than happily ran around the bar with Gabriella and Dante while playing as many made up games with each other that they could, while their parents continued to keep an ever watchful eye on them as they ran madly around, and especially Grant who always made it a point to know where his children were at all times. Every so often Leo would run over to where they were all sitting and crawl onto his father's lap for a quick cuddle, before then doing the same with his mother until he'd scurry off again to play with his big sister and their friends.

As their eldest children continued to play together happily with their friends and enjoy their time at the bar Skye would constantly be checking in with her parents via text messages and the odd phone call back at the house to see how they were coping in taking care of her youngest son. Since Phil was born Christmas Eve had been the first night that Skye and Grant had left him alone since they didn't trust too many people to take care of their children for them and had waited until Jemma and Leo had both been over 1 before spending a few hours away from them for the first time. But out of everyone that they knew they knew they could trust Coulson and May to take care of their youngest son and keep him safe. Plus, Coulson had insisted they take a few hours to themselves and head on down to the bar with the others, to which they'd eventually agreed after at least a 2 hour discussion about it between them and Coulson who had been dying to look after little Phil by himself for a few hours and promptly roping May into his plans in the process.

All in all they were enjoying their Christmas Eve spent out with FitzSimmons and Tripp. It was also a good way to eventually tire Jemma and Leo out enough to pass out asleep as soon as they got them home later and just in time for Santa to make his journey to the Ward household.

* * *

"Yo, Skye! Why is Ward up on that stage fiddling with the mic?!" asked Tripp suddenly, bewildered.

"Probably because he's going to sing a song for Jemma like he has done every year for the last 3 years" replied Skye, as she twisted around in her seat to face the stage and her husband with a smile across her face. "Only this year he'll be singing it to Leo as well."

"Ward can actually sing?" asked Simmons, quirking her left brow upwards a little.

"My husband is a man of many hidden talents!" smiled Skye proudly. "Just watch, see and enjoy the show because he's an adorable goofball when he sings to our children!"

"This is far too priceless to not film and show Coulson and May what they're missing later!" laughed Fitz, as he pulled out his cell phone from his jeans pocket, hit the record button on the camera and faced it in Grant's direction most gleefully. "I might even put it on YouTube afterwards!"

"Oh, Fitz!" giggled Simmons, soon giggling even more at her boyfriend sticking his tongue out at her playfully.

"_Testing, testing, 1 , 2 , 3..." _drawled Grant down the mic in front of him. "And it works ladies and gentleman!" Grant just chuckled as a few of the locals in front of him clapped and cheered. "I think it's safe to say that you all the know the drill by now of why I'm up here on Christmas Eve. So without further ado and purely for fun this is _Run, Run, Rudolph! _that I dedicate to my little Princess Jemma."

Upon hearing her name Jemma immediately started bouncing up and down to clap excitedly at her father.

"And I also dedicate it to my little Prince Leo" smiled Grant, as he flashed a wink towards his young son standing beside his big sister and whose little face he didn't fail to notice immediately lit up as bright as a star at being mentioned and included.

And then as the music started to play Grant started to sing...

"_Out of all the reindeers' you know you're the masterminnnd! Run, Run, Rudolph, Randolph ain't too far behinnnd!" _

As he sang Grant couldn't help but bop around on the stage a little which resulted in him receiving a few cheers from his family and friends.

"_Run, Run, Rudolph, Santa's got to make it to townnn! Santa make him hurry tell him he can take the freeway downnn! Run, Run, Rudolph, 'cause I'm reelin' like a merry go rounnnd!"_

Jumping down from the stage Grant made his way over to his smiling son and crouched down in front of him with a devious smile playing about his lips.

"_Said Santa to a boy child what have you been longing for?!"_

Grant then held out the mic towards Leo with a smirk.

"Ummm..." said Leo, trailing off to think, as he crinkled his little nose up in thought and twirled a tuft of his hair around with his finger. "...A RACE CAR!"

Grant couldn't help but chuckle at how adorable his son looked when he yelled that. Leaning forward he tenderly kissed him on the tip of his nose before resuming singing once more.

"_All I want for Christmas is a rock and roll electric guitaaar! And then away went Rudolph whizzin' like a shootin' staaar!"_

Jumping to his feet Grant then took a hold of his son's hand and proceeded to dance around the bar with him, neither of them caring who was watching them or how silly they no doubt looked.

"_Run, Run, Rudolph, Santa's got to make it to townnn! Santa make him hurry tell him he can take the freeway downnn! Run, Run, Rudolph, 'cause I'm reelin' like a merry go rounnnd! Run like it's stolen!"_

Sliding down onto his knees Grant slided across the floor towards his giggling and highly amused daughter, bopping her on her nose lovingly when he got close enough.

"_Said Santa to a girl child what would please you the most?!"_

And just like he had with Leo he held out the mic towards Jemma with a smirk across his face.

"My very own Princess Castle!" squealed Jemma giddily, as she spread her arms out as wide as she could get them to emphasise how big she'd like it to be.

Grant merely tilted his head to one side, sharing an _'Yeah, that's not gonna happen anytime soon!' _look with his wife, before turning back towards his daughter to resume singing once more.

"_A little baby doll that can cry, sleep, drink and wet! And then away went Rudolph whizzin' like a saber jet!"_

Jumping to his feet once more Grant then more than happily took off like a rocket around the bar while continuing to sing, as his children just as happily chased him squealing as loudly as they could while trying to catch him.

"_Run, Run, Rudolph, Santa's got to make it to townnn! Santa make him hurry tell him he can take the freeway downnn! Run, Run, Rudolph, 'cause I'm reelin' like a merry go rounnnd!"_

Scooping Leo up into his arms as he ran past him Grant then proceeded to run around the bar, dodging chairs, tables and people as he went in order to escape his daughter that was still chasing after him, while all Leo could do was laugh and squeal in his father's arms over him being such a goofball.

"_Run, Run, Rudolph! Run, Run, Rudolph! Run, Run, Rudolph!" _

"MUMMY! HELP ME CATCH DADDY!" yelled Jemma to her mother when running past her booth.

"You got it, baby girl!" laughed Skye, as she jumped from her seat and chased off after her husband along with their daughter.

"_Run, Run, Rudolph! Run, Run, Rudolph! Run, Run, Rudolph!"_

"DADA! RUN FASTER!" yelled Leo into his father's ear, as he saw his mother and big sister quickly gaining on them.

"_Run, Run, Rudolph! Run, Run, Rudolph! Run, Run, Rudolph! MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!"_

"AHHH! OOF!" grunted Grant just as he finished singing and tumbled down onto the floor with Leo landing on top of him with a squeal, as Jemma had managed to tackle him to the ground, promptly pounced on him and with her mother quickly joining her.

As Skye and Jemma proceeded to tickle Grant and Leo to into fits of hysterical laughter Simmons, Fitz and Tripp were merely left to watch the crazy antics unfold before them along with everyone else in the bar who had now started to cheer and clap for them all putting on such an entertaining show.

"Coulson and May are going to love this video when I show them later!" laughed Fitz, as he continued filming everything on his cell phone.

"They are one crazy family!" chuckled Tripp, shaking his head at the four of them engaged in a tickle fight and rolling around together on the floor not too far from him.

"That may be true but at least they're a happy one" smiled Simmons, sighing contently for her two friends in front of her happily playing with their children and not a care in the world while doing so. _Just like all families should at Christmastime... _was her final thought of the night before bursting into a fit of giggles at Grant yelling out loudly for his wife and children to have mercy on his poor bladder in sparing him anymore tickles before he wet himself!


	15. A Night Spent Babysitting

**I decided to update this fic again before the New Year even though I said I wouldn't. But the idea for this chapter came to me courtesy of a request/suggestion from a loyal guest reviewer, SkyeWard Lover, so I decided to write this up after being asked to see how Philinda coped with lil' Phil for a few hours. I hope you like this and it's what you envisioned :) Also, it's my present to you for being my 900th review on my The Secret Is Out fic ^_^ I hope everyone else enjoys this chapter too and that you're all having a great Christmas! xD**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. However, I do own my OC of Philip "Phil" Ward.**

* * *

**Chapter 15: A Night Spent Babysitting**

"Oh, Philip!" sighed May, as she rolled her eyes at her fiancé sitting back down beside her on the sofa with their young grandson in his arms.

"What's wrong?" asked Coulson, furrowing his brows at his fiancée, as he slowly rocked their young grandson up and down in his arms.

"After changing his diaper you were meant to put him down for a nap not bring him back downstairs with you" said May, sighing once more.

"I was going too but he was still fussing" said Coulson, smiling down at little Philip who was happily cradled into the crook of his right arm. "So I decided to attempt to soothe him before taking him back upstairs."

"He looks perfectly soothed to me" said May, as she watched her little grandson crinkle his nose up and start blowing spit bubbles. "Now go and put him down for his nap like you were supposed too."

"Hang on a minute..." said Coulson, trailing off to frown down at his grandson. "...if I remember correctly from what Skye once told me the face he's currently pulling is his poop face."

"Sucks to be you then!" laughed May, as she crossed her right leg over her left leg and picked up the magazine beside her to continue reading.

"I literally just changed him. He can't be pooping again so quickly!" exclaimed Coulson, as he then turned to grin at her. "How about you go and find out instead for a change?"

"Nope!" scoffed May, as she ever so casually flicked through the pages of her magazine. "You wanted to babysit so badly while Skye and Ward went out with the others so you can change all of his diapers every time he poops."

"He's your grandson too, y'know..." mumbled Coulson under his breath.

"I know he is" said May, glancing over at him. "And I love him a lot. But I'm still not changing his diaper."

"One day you'll have to change his diaper, Mel" said Coulson, as he rose to his feet and stuck his tongue out at her.

"He has two doting parents and an equally doting grandfather to always change his diapers so I think I'm good" said May, as she lifted her legs up and tucked her feet under her on the sofa, flashing a smile in his direction afterwards. "But nice try, dear."

Coulson merely sighed before turning to exit the living room and return to Philip's nursery to change his diaper yet again.

"Put him down in his crib when you've changed him" said May sternly. "Skye and Ward have him on a routine when it comes to sleeping like they told you before they went out. Therefore you need to stick to it."

"Yeah, yeah..." muttered Coulson while walking out of the room.

"I mean it, Philip!" yelled May after his retreating form. "His parents know better than you!"

* * *

When Coulson returned to the living room and May's side a little while later he once again returned with his young grandson in his arms, which immediately earned him an eye roll from his fiancée.

"Philip James Coulson!" said May in a scolding tone. "What did I tell you before you left the room?!"

"Before you start arguing with me I swear I'm going to take him back upstairs in a few minutes, okay?" said Coulson, as he sat down beside her with a smile. "But first I just wanted to show you how cute he looks!"

May merely stared at him with a deadpanned expression.

"Oh, come on, Melinda!" sighed Coulson exasperatedly. "Look at him! I've put him in a blue Captain America onesie I found amongst his clothes!"

"And that's meant to surprise me is it?" asked May, unfazed. "You were bound to do it sooner or later."

"I'm merely showing you that Skye, or Ward, though I'll bet money that it was Skye, bought him a Captain America onesie hoping to get him loving Cap one day just as much as his grandpa does!" beamed Coulson. "He'll be a mini me before we know it!"

"God help us all!" said May, shaking her head at him.

"He's going to be the cutest little Captain America fan in the whole wide world! Oh, yes he is!" cooed Coulson, as he dipped his head to kiss Philip on his nose and then nuzzled his own against his tiny one.

"Go and put him down for a nap or I'm calling Skye and Ward on you" sighed May.

"I doubt they'd rush home from their rare night out to tell me off for not putting him down for his nap" chuckled Coulson.

"They would if I told them the house was on fire" said May, as she resumed casually flicking through her magazine again.

"And then they'd probably ban us from ever visiting them or our grandchildren again because we all but gave them a heart attack" said Coulson, glaring at her.

"Just go and put him down for a nap already" said May, sighing again.

"But I don't want-"

"If you put him down for his nap I'll let you cuddle me on the sofa when you come back down" said May, flashing him a small cheeky smile.

"You've got yourself a deal, Mel" said Coulson, smiling back at her, as he rose to his feet and headed back to his grandson's nursery where this time he successfully managed to put him down in his crib for his nap, before returning to May in the living room for a cuddle on the sofa which only ever came fleetingly and whenever she was in a really good mood.

* * *

_One Hour Later..._

Philip's ear piercingly loud scream suddenly came soaring through the baby monitor on the small coffee table and instantly startled both Coulson and May from cuddling on the sofa together. Up until then they'd quite happily been lounging back on the sofa watching some random film on TV about a mutated killer shark with two heads.

"I've got him" said Coulson, as he attempted to jump up from the sofa.

"No, I've got him" said May, as she lightly shoved him back down onto the sofa and stood to her feet instead. "I'll soothe him back to sleep and successfully place him back in his crib afterwards. You on the other hand won't and we both know that."

"Spoilsport" mumbled Coulson under his breath. "You'll see soon enough it's not as easy as you think it is to place him back in his crib when he's smiling his adorable little smile back up at you."

May merely rolled her eyes at him while exiting the room and bounding up the stairs towards her young grandson's nursery. "Come on now, little Philip, don't be a fussy fusspot" she cooed, as she leaned down to scoop him up into her arms.

Philip immediately stopped crying to crinkle his nose and smile a tiny smile up at her.

"I swear to god, kid, if you start blowing spit bubbles and flashing me that poop face of yours I'm calling your grandpa" said May, as she furrowed her brows at her little grandson in her arms. "I don't do diaper changes. I suggest you remember that for future reference."

Philip simply smiled up at her even more, as he placed his tiny left hand half over his mouth and half over his nose while thrashing his little legs about.

Smiling softly down at him May sighed. "Yep, you're a little cutie. Even I can't deny that. And you happen to have been blessed with the looks of both of your parents. You're so going to be a little heartbreaker in the future."

Philip now had his tiny left hand placed atop his head while his tiny right hand was resting lightly against his right cheek and his eyes were now slowly starting to close again.

"You just wanted someone to cuddle you, didn't you?" cooed May softly, as she dipped her head to nuzzle her nose tenderly against his. "You devious little baby you."

"Kinda makes you a little broody doesn't-"

"No" said May instantly, as she cut her fiancé off from finishing and turned her head to face him. "Don't even think about finishing that sentence if you want to live another day."

"Fine, fine..." said Coulson, raising his hands up in surrender. "...I was just saying."

"Never gonna happen" said May, as she slowly lowered her now sound asleep grandson back into his crib. "So you're bang out of luck."

"Don't worry about it" chuckled Coulson softly. "My 3 grandchildren are more than enough. Besides, I honestly wouldn't put it past Skye and Ward having at least one more in the future if FitzSimmons' don't beat them to it."

"It'll be Skye and Ward again" said May, as she walked towards him. "FitzSimmons have always put their work first and continue to do so. Skye and Ward no longer need too so I imagine one day they'll have enough kids to form their own soccer team."

"And we're halting this conversation right here" said Coulson, grimacing slightly. "Because I don't need to think of Ward knocking up my daughter that many times."

"Next time he does, to which we both know he will..." smirked May, as she walked past him and out of Philip's nursery. "...you should make up for lost time and hunt him down with your shotgun since you never got the chance too the first 3 times."

"I really do love the way you think, Mel!" chuckled Coulson, as he checked the nightlight was still on in his grandson's nursery before leaving the room and following her back downstairs to the living room.

* * *

Over the course of the next few hours and amidst Skye texting and calling them a few times to check in and see how they were coping being babysitters saw Philip wake up a total of 3 more times.

The first time was simply for another cuddle which his doting grandfather happily obliged him with sitting in the rocking chair that was in the far corner of his nursery near the window, soon rocking him back to sleep.

The second time was for a diaper change which May refused to do so Coulson had too, as he attempted to show her and teach her how to change his diaper which instead simply resulted in her rolling her eyes at him continuously.

The third and final time he woke up he didn't want cuddled or his diaper changed. Instead he just cried and cried and cried no matter what either of them did to try and soothe him.

* * *

After doing their best to soothe him for a little over 30 minutes without success they were about to admit defeat and call Skye and Grant for advice when they returned home with two sleeping toddlers drooping over the shoulders and in the arms of Fitz and Simmons respectively, as Tripp brought up the rear.

As FitzSimmons' headed up the stairs to put Leo and Jemma to bed, Tripp joining them to help, Skye and Grant headed for the living room and the cries of their baby son.

"Awww! My poor baby boy!" exclaimed Skye, as she bounded towards her father and gently prised her crying and fussing son from his arms into her own, instantly cradling him to her chest. "Why are you crying, Philip?"

"We were just about to call you both and ask what we should do to help soothe him" said Coulson, as he watched his daughter rock her son back and forth in her arms while humming a soft lullaby under her breath at the same time. "He's been crying for the past 30 minutes and we've done everything we can think of to soothe him back to sleep without success."

"He's probably just been missing the two of you" said May, flopping down onto the sofa and watching as her grandson's cries soon subsided into nothingness the more Skye rocked him back and forth in her arms, as Grant peppered his tiny forehead with little kisses from where he stood by Skye's side.

"That and he's without a doubt hungry" said Skye, laughing at her son quickly hunting out one of her breasts and trying to latch on to her nipple through her shirt. "So I'd say I got home just in time!"

"Oh, of course! How could we forget that?!" exclaimed Coulson, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I could've had him fed before you guys got back too!"

"Until the day you grow some breasts, dad, I don't see that happening anytime soon" laughed Skye, smirking at him, as she left the room with her son to head on upstairs to his nursery and settle down in the rocking chair near the window to feed him privately.

"Right, she's still breastfeeding him..." said Coulson, shuffling uncomfortably on his feet.

"And will for a few more months to come yet" chuckled Grant, as he left the room to follow after his wife.

"I hate to break it to you, Ward, but you can't help her since you're without breasts too!" yelled Coulson after him.

"I know that! But I can watch unlike you!" yelled Grant right back before disappearing up the stairs and out of sight.

"I did not need to know he was going to do that..." said Coulson, frowning.

"You honestly set yourself up for answers like that and you know you do" snorted May from the sofa. "Now stop frowning or you'll give yourself even more worry lines."

Coulson merely made an incomprehensible sound before heading for the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes. I'm going to sneak upstairs and kiss Jemma and Leo goodnight without waking them."

"Remember not to go in the nursery to do the same with Philip or you'll be scarred for life!" called out May, soon laughing when she heard him utter the incomprehensible sound he had a habit of making whenever he was frustrated or uncomfortable.


	16. You're My Hero

**Here's hoping ya'll enjoy some happy SkyeWard family fluff, which is set after the New Year, only for this fic it's 2019 now since it's set in an AU future ^.^**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: So I just wanted to let everyone know who reads and follows this fic that for awhile now I've been planning out a prequel to this fic and have already written the first 3 chapters to it. It's called How Could I Want More? (The Missing Years) and covers the missing 5 years that Skye and Grant spent on the run hiding together before settling down to have their children. It's simply a SkyeWard fic that'll cover everything that happened for them in their relationship before and after they had their children, which will eventually interlock with this fic's first chapter and end with the team finding them. If ya'll are interested that is? ****Does it sound interesting or not? ****Compared to this one it'll be a little more angsty and will be rated T instead of K. I'm writing it in chronological order so if you go back to the first chapter of this fic it'll pick up from how it was explained Skye decided to let Grant run and then go from there. Feel free to tell me anything in particular you'd like to see from the "missing years" and if it's do-able I'll write it. So if you like this idea let me know and I'll post it when I've a few more chapters than 3 wrote out. xD**

**(To all guests that have asked ~ this fic is going to span over 50+ chapters, despite it originally only ever meant to be a one shot lol! And yes other chars from the show/MCU will be making appearances but I'm not saying who, when, why or how. Keep reading to find out! xD)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. However, I do own my OC's of Jemma Ward, Leo Ward and Philip "Phil" Ward.**

* * *

**Chapter 16: You're My Hero**

"Oh, Leo! Be careful with that sand around your brother, sweetie!" exclaimed Skye, as she reached out to stop her young son Leo from dunking his bucket full of sand over his baby brother Philip's head.

"I want him to play with me!" pouted Leo, as he scrunched his little nose up and crossed his arms over his chest crossly.

"He's too young to play with you now how you currently want him too yet, Leo" said Grant with a small chuckle, as he shifted Philip in his arms until he was facing him so he could bounce him up and down on his lap.

Philip merely let out a little squeal, thrashed his tiny legs about and stuffed his right fist into his mouth to suck on.

"He needs to be bigga!" huffed Leo, frowning at his baby brother being bounced around in their father's arms.

"Be careful what you wish for, Leo" commented Jemma ever so casually from where she was sitting in between her parents in the middle of the sandbox where she was building a sandcastle. "Because when he's bigger he'll start stealing all of your toys."

"I no share my toys!" yelled Leo, pouting, as he flashed his sister a scowl. "Not even with you!"

"Jemma! Don't tell your little brother things like that!" exclaimed Skye, sighing, as she flashed her young daughter a scowl before turning back to face a still pouting Leo. "Don't listen to your big sister, Leo. You and Philip both like different types of toys and you're older than he is so you'll never be interested in the same toys."

"I don't want your toys, Leo, because I'm a girl and into girly things" said Jemma with a sigh of her own, as she jumped to her feet and dusted the sand from her sparkly pink skirt she was wearing. "I'm going on the swings."

"I'll follow her since she'll want pushed" said Skye, as she jumped to her feet to follow after her daughter once she'd placed light little kisses atop the heads of her sons' as well as her husband. "You stay with our boys in the sandpit and be good."

"Yes, sweetheart, we'll all be a good bunch of boys" chuckled Grant, smiling at his wife as she kissed his forehead and walked off to where their daughter was patiently waiting for her to push her on the swings.

"I no share my toys, dada" said Leo, as he finally uncrossed his arms to start re-filling his bucket with sand again.

"You don't have too, Leo, as you'll always have different taste in toys to Philip and if you ever did like the same toy then me and your mummy would make sure you both had the same toy so you'd never have to share" said Grant, as he leaned across and ruffled Leo's hair playfully that instantly made him smile and start laughing. "Now, are you going to play nicely with your little brother and stop trying to pour sand over his head?"

"Otay" said Leo, nodding, as he stopped re-filling his bucket up with sand to instead crawl over towards where his little brother sat on their father's lap and place a little kiss atop his tiny head. "I'm sowwy, Philip."

"That's very sweet of you, Leo" smiled Grant, feeling immensely proud of Leo apologising to his baby brother without having to be asked or encouraged to do so first.

"What can he do, dada?" asked Leo curiously, as he eyed up his baby brother merely sitting on their father's lap and doing nothing but gurgle and suck on his right fist.

"Right now suck on his little fist since his pacifier apparently isn't good enough anymore" chuckled Grant softly, as he stared lovingly down at his baby son lying in his lap sucking his fist and simply staring up at him cutely.

"He's boring" said Leo with a frown.

"Like me and your mummy tell you often he's only a baby and babies can't do much" said Grant, chuckling softly again. "Once he's older and can walk and talk a little then he'll be able to play with you and your sister more."

"But that's gone be _forevaaaaaaaaa_!" exclaimed Leo, as he pouted once more.

"You'll see that time has a habit of flying you by quickly when you aren't keeping an eye on it and thinking about it too much" said Grant, smiling softly at both of his young sons', as he couldn't help but think that for himself and Skye that time had most certainly flown by for them both since it still sometimes felt like only yesterday that they were on the run, living in and out of countless motels and laying low together compared to how they were now happily married with 3 young children that they both loved more than anything in the world and always would.

"DADA! PAY ATTENTION TO ME!" shouted Leo, as he wrapped his arms around his father's neck and tugged at his hair with his left hand to get his attention. _"DADAAAAAAA!"_

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry I spaced out for a few seconds!" laughed Grant at Leo's attempts to get his attention. "How about we go over to where your mummy and sister are and then I can push you on one of the swings too?"

"Otay!" said Leo, clapping his hands excitedly and running over towards where his mother and sister were by the swings.

"Why there's my three favourite boys in the whole entire world!" beamed Skye at seeing her husband approach her with their two sons'. "And what brings you both over to the swings?"

"Dada's gonna push me on da swings too!" answered Leo, as he jumped up and down excitedly.

"He is?!" exclaimed Skye, smiling, as she bent down and lifted Leo up into her arms so she could place him in one of the swings that had a protective bar going all around, since he was still too young for the ones that didn't like Jemma was currently sitting on, and because unlike her he still had a habit of sometimes forgetting to always hold on properly.

"Push me, dada!" yelled Leo impatiently.

"Do you want me to take Phil so it's easier for you to push Leo?" asked Skye, as she faced her husband with a smile when he stood beside her.

"No, it's fine, I've got him" said Grant, smiling at her and shifting Philip slightly into the crook of his right arm so he could push Leo on the swings with his left hand. "You've got Jemma to push so we're in the same boat here."

"He does have a pushchair that you can easily place him back in, y'know?" said Skye, laughing softly.

"I like our children close to us at all times if possible and especially when at the park" said Grant, shrugging, as he happily indulged in Leo's excited squeals of pushing him faster so he could go higher, while keeping a tight hold of Philip while doing so.

"His pushchair is close to us, Grant" said Skye, shaking her head at him. "You're just being the adorable overprotective father you've always been."

"It's the professional agent and specialist in me coming out" said Grant, shrugging some more. "You should think of it as a good thing more because this way you'll always know you and our children will always be safe and well protected whenever I'm around."

"I'm not complaining, babe" smiled Skye, as she leaned over to place a soft and tender kiss across his own smiling lips.

"You two smooch too much!" exclaimed Jemma, grimacing at her parents locking lips with each other.

"You shouldn't even know what the word smooch means young lady!" chuckled Grant, as he stuck his tongue out at his daughter playfully.

"My friends at school told me that mummies and daddies like to do a lot of smooching with each other because it's just what they do to show they like each other" said Jemma, sighing disinterestedly. "But I think it's gross!"

"Be a good little girl for daddy and always think that smooching is gross!" chuckled Grant, as he flashed Skye a devious wink.

Skye couldn't help but giggle at her husband winking at her deviously, since she knew that if he had his way then Jemma would become a nun when she was older and live in a nunnery for the rest of her life.

* * *

After spending the morning at the park together as a family where they more than happily pushed their children on the swings, went on the slides, see saws, roundabouts, monkey bars and pretty much everything the park had to offer them, since Jemma and Leo were quite hyperactive young children and liked to try out everything that they possibly could, Skye and Grant finally managed to prise them away from the park long enough to return home a little after lunchtime.

After having lunch with their children Skye then put Leo and Philip down for their afternoon naps. As soon as they were both fast asleep with Leo snoring ever so lightly Skye then went off in search of her husband and daughter only to find them nowhere in sight within the house. Tucking the downstairs baby monitors into her jeans back pockets so she could hear if Leo or Philip woke up from their naps she then made her way outside and towards the garage out the back that Grant had converted into a makeshift gym not long after they'd moved in and just before Jemma was born.

As Skye pushed open the garage door and stepped inside she was instantly met with the sight of her young daughter being guided by her father on how to punch the miniature punching bag that Grant had bought to teach Jemma and Leo how to box with as they grew up. One thing Grant had always prided himself on was not only making sure over the years that she could always protect and defend herself along with their children when he wasn't around to do it himself, but also that their children also knew how to protect and defend themselves should they ever need too and when they themselves weren't around to do it for them.

However, even years later Skye still hated training and sparring with a passion, but nowadays did it with less complaints since she knew how important it now was for her to always be able to protect herself and most importantly to protect her children. Jemma, however, was so unlike Skye when it came to training, sparring and learning how to fight and instead absolutely loved spending time in the gym with Grant as he'd more than happily teach her everything that he knew, while also fully intending on doing the same with Leo and Philip the older they both got.

"Now, remember to always keep both of your hands up and balled into tight little fists when you swing a punch, okay?" said Grant, as he instructed his daughter on what to do. "Otherwise you'll just be slapping your opponent and not punching them."

"Yes, daddy, I know that" said Jemma, as she swung her fist at the punching bag before her that her father was holding steady for her. "Ow, ow, owww! Why'd that hurt?!"

"Give me your hand and let me take a look" said Grant, as he took her tiny hand in his larger one and started inspecting her wrapped hand closely. "Okay, so, do you see the problem here, Princess?"

"Umm...umm...not really..." replied Jemma, trailing off to shake her head and frown down at her hand in confusion.

"You have your thumb tucked into your fist" said Grant, as he prised her little thumb from her balled up fist. "Never punch someone with your thumbs tucked into your fists because it'll hurt when you punch them and you could break your thumbs while doing so, okay?"

"Okay, daddy, I got it!" beamed Jemma, doing as instructed and getting into position again with her hands raised up into fists facing the punching bag before her. "Don't stumble too much now!"

Grant just chuckled at his daughter's best attempt to be as sassy as her mother could be at times, as he watched her take her best swing at the punching bag, while he then pretended to lose his balance and stumble backwards a little bit which immediately made her smile proudly at accomplishing.

"Oh my! Aren't you a strong little girl to get the best of your daddy like that?!" giggled Skye, as she stepped into their line of vision and casually leaned against the wall near to them with her arms folded across her chest.

"Yep! I know!" beamed Jemma even more proudly, as she continued to punch away happily at the punching bag.

"Did our boys go down for their naps alright?" asked Grant, as he kept the punching bag steady for Jemma and glanced over at Skye.

"Yeah, they did" replied Skye, nodding. "They were pretty tired and should both be asleep now for a couple of hours."

"I reckon in about half an hour or so that so will this one..." whispered Grant so only Skye could hear him, as he nodded his head over towards Jemma furiously sending punch after punch at the punching bag, while her face remained scrunched up in deep concentration and the tip of her tongue poked out from the corner of her mouth.

"Once she does we should probably take a little nap of our own..." whispered Skye into Grant's ear when walking past him to head back inside their house. "...because mummies and daddies eventually get pretty tired too."

"That we do..." said Grant, trailing off to watch Skye sensually sashay away from him until she'd completely disappeared from his sight.

And then the next thing Grant became aware of was suddenly stumbling backwards and promptly landing flat on his butt with a loud grunt.

"YAY! I KNOCKED YOU DOWN, DADDY! I GOTS THE BETTER OF YOUUU!" yelled Jemma extremely loudly and very excitedly. "You have to remember to never, EVER, take your eye off of your opponent, daddy! Just like you taught me!"

"So I did!" chuckled Grant, smiling at her exceptionally proudly for actually remembering that. "I see you've been listening to me."

"Of course I have!" smiled Jemma, as she made a dash for her father, dived on him still sitting sprawled out on the floor and landed on his lap. "It's fun learning how to fight so I always listen to what you teach me!"

"And that, my little Princess, is where you are so very different from your lazy mummy!" chuckled Grant, as he bopped her on her nose lovingly before enveloping her into his arms for a hug.

Jemma more than happily hugged her father back and wrapped her own arms around his neck tightly. "I love you, daddy."

"I love you too, Jemma" smiled Grant, gracing her left cheek with a soft and tender kiss.

"Thank you for showing me how to kick butt!" giggled Jemma, as she wrapped her arms even tighter around his neck and rested her chin lightly atop his shoulder. "You're my hero, daddy."

"I'll always make sure that you, your mummy and your brothers can always protect and defend yourselves as well as each other just in case there ever comes a day when I can't" said Grant, hugging her to his chest as tight as he could and smiling widely at her calling him her hero. "Because the four of you mean the absolute world to me and you always will."

As Jemma continued to hug him Grant more than happily did the same, because to him there was no greater joy in the world than being able to hug his children whenever he wanted and for as long as they all wanted him too. Being a father was something he honestly thought he'd never get the chance to be, but was glad that he finally was and that Skye, who he would always love, was the mother of his children. He loved his wife and children more than anything and anyone in the world, and no matter what he always would, while always striving to be the best husband and father that he could possibly be to them. He was determined to prove to himself if anything that despite never having a positive role model to look upto while growing up that it didn't matter, because instead he could now simply be the loving and doting father to his own children that he'd always wished he'd had growing up for himself.

Life was truly good and there was nothing that could spoil it, because no matter what happened Grant would always make sure of that.


	17. Leo's 3rd Birthday

**Here's a new chapter that I hope you enjoy, as I had a lot of fun writing this one out because of the theme I settled on :) Updates to all of my other ongoing fics will be coming shortly. I'm behind on updating due to my laptop dying on me after 6 years and then having to wait until my new one arrived before I could get back into writing and updating xD  
**

**Thank you to everyone who left me ideas on what you'd like to see for The Missing Years prequel, as I've wrote them all down and will be including all of them when hitting the right point in the story. The fic will be a pretty long one since it's to cover the whole 5 years leading up to the events of this fic, therefore it's taking some writing and planning. Feel free to keep suggesting ideas if you think of more and I'll take note of them all. As for seeing the prequel pop up soon I've currently got the first 5 chapters written out and when I've got 10 I'll start posting. Until then here's a new chapter to this fic instead :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. However, I do own my OC's of Jemma Ward, Leo Ward, Philip "Phil" Ward and Lourdes Murciano. (Google the actress Seychelle Gabriel if you wish to envision who I envision when writing for Lourdes, as she's one of my favourite actresses and who I see in my mind when writing her).**

* * *

**Chapter 17: Leo's 3rd Birthday**

When Coulson, May, FitzSimmons and Tripp all managed to visit Skye, Grant and their children again it was a few months after Christmas due to them being kept busy and away off on missions. As much as they all would've preferred to have visited their young grandchildren they all still had jobs to do at the end of the day, and they're jobs working for S.H.I.E.L.D. unfortunately still came first. So when they finally did manage to get some much needed time off they were all more than happy that the timing was perfect in allowing them to celebrate Leo's 3rd birthday, as celebrating Leo's birthday with him was something neither of them had wanted to miss for anything in the world.

* * *

"Thank god you guys are all finally here!" exclaimed Skye upon opening the front door, as she then bustled them all inside as quickly as she could while lightly bouncing her baby son Philip up and down on her left hip. "I have missions for you all!"

"And here's me thinkin' we were done with missions for the next couple of days!" chuckled Tripp. "But I guess our work is never really done."

"Oh, please! My missions will be a lot more fun than whatever you guys have been doing lately!" snorted Skye.

"Says the woman who hasn't worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. for 5 years now" said Tripp teasingly.

"I'm never gonna complain about that" said Skye, as she stuck her tongue out at Tripp playfully. "Ditching S.H.I.E.L.D. got me a loving husband and 3 beautiful children. I'll take being a wife and a mom over an agent any day."

"Alright, kids, quieten down now" chuckled Coulson softly, as he smiled at Skye and extended his arms out towards her. "Can I please hold my grandson now? He's gotten so much bigger since I last saw him! How is that even possible?!"

"Babies grow every day, dad, and you guys have been gone for a few months now so of course he's gotten bigger!" laughed Skye, as she handed her son over to her father. "Luckily for you your mission is entertaining him while I finish getting the rest of the house set up before Leo's party guests arrive!"

"How old is Philip now exactly?" asked Coulson, as he happily bounced his baby grandson up and down in his arms while cooing over him. "Oh, I've missed you! Oh, yes I have! I have now! Yes I have!"

"That high pitched and overdone baby voice really grates on me" huffed May, as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm so close to taking off my boot and hitting you over the back of the head with it if you insist on keeping it up, Phil."

"If you do that please make sure he's put my son down first and out of reach of him being squished" said Skye, laughing at her mother who would no doubt follow through with her light threat if she felt the need to. "As for how old he is now then that would be 6 months. So he's still a baby and that's just how I like it."

"What's my mission?" asked May, as she faced her daughter with a soft smile. "Anything to get me away from the constant baby noises that are sadly coming from your father and not your son."

Skye just snorted and nearly choked in the process, along with FitzSimmons and Tripp, before she found the words to answer her mother. "There's a couple of balloons in the living room that still need blown up and then hung up. Think you can handle that?"

"Already on it" nodded May, as she set off walking briskly towards the living room.

"You can go outside to the backyard and help Lourdes set up the tables with food" said Skye, as she turned to face Tripp with a smile.

"Lourdes is here? Awesome!" exclaimed Tripp happily, as he tried his best to mask his true excitement at hearing she was here. Ever since he'd met her for the first time over the Christmas holidays he'd thought she was beautiful and hadn't been able to get her out of his head, as he'd hoped at one point he'd get the chance to see her again. "You can count on me! I've got this!"

"Oh, I'm sure you do" laughed Skye softly, shaking her head at him, as she turned to face FitzSimmons next. "As for you guys you can help me and Grant out with your little namesakes in getting them ready in time for people arriving, especially Leo since he's extremely hyper today!"

"Because it's his birthday!" exclaimed Fitz excitedly, as he suddenly turned and darted away upstairs without another word.

"He's lucky Grant is currently upstairs with Leo in his room trying to get him ready or he'd becoming back down in a few seconds looking sheepish for being in such an excited rush in finding them" said Skye, laughing, as she set off following Fitz upstairs with Simmons following behind her. "C'mon, as Jemma is upstairs in her room too playing with her guinea pigs."

"I'm right behind you!" said Simmons, as she happily followed after Skye and headed towards her niece's bedroom.

"And then there were two..." said Coulson, beaming down at his grandson. "...the best two!"

Philip merely squealed at the funny faces his grandfather was pulling at him and promptly blew out a big spit bubble from the corner of his mouth.

"C'mon, kiddo, let's go harass your grandmother with some baby noises!" chuckled Coulson deviously, as he set off walking towards the living room.

* * *

About half an hour later, give or take, Leo's party guests had all arrived ranging in ages from 3 to 6, with the exception of Lourdes' 7 year old daughter and 2 year old son, who were also at the party that was now currently in full swing.

"Ladieeeeeeeeeees, gentlemennnnnnnn aaaaaaaaaand childrennnnnnn! Can I have your attention please?!" boomed Jemma's voice down the loudspeaker she held in her hand and from where she stood by the patio doors with her free hand resting casually atop her right hip.

"Oh, she looks so pretty!" exclaimed Coulson upon seeing his young granddaughter for the first time since he'd arrived, as he'd been too enamoured in looking after little Philip and deliberately annoying May with constant cooing and over the top baby noises. But now he couldn't help but smile warmly over at his young granddaughter who was wearing a little green top that had green silk sleeves with a yellow silk sash going down the middle, a sparkly blue belt around her middle and a green ruffle skirt. To top it all off she had a blue bandana over her eyes, reminiscent of the bandana's the _Ninja Turtles _wore, little blue sparkly gloves over her wrists that her fingers poked out from through the holes at the tips and blue sparkly shoes to match. "She looks like a little turtle!"

"That's the point to which you'll see more when she turns around since she's also got a green silky shell on her back" laughed Skye. "Though if you tell her she's a turtle she'll correct you since she's apparently meant to be the _Ninja Turtles _best friend and the reporter that protects them by keeping their identity a secret. Y'know, April O'Neil?"

"It's been years since I've seen the _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, _Skye" chuckled Coulson softly. "I only remember the talking rat called Shredder."

"Splinter was the rat, as well as thinking himself as a Sensei" said Skye matter of factly. "Shredder was the bad guy and always out to get them."

"Ah, right..." said Coulson, nodding, as he trailed off while muttering _'Similar names, same thing really' _under his breath.

"So now that I have your attention it is with my greatest pleasure to announce to you my little brother the birthday boy! Put'cha hands togetheaaaaaaaa as I present to you the one and the onlyyyyyyyyyy..." said Jemma loudly and as dramatically as she could, while twisting around to extend her free arm out towards the patio doors. "..._Leoooooooooonardoooooooooo!"_

As soon as Jemma was done announcing him like she'd promised that she would Leo burst out from the kitchen yelling as loudly as he could _"COWAAAAAAAAAABUNGAAAAAAAA!" _and bounded onto the patio before coming to a standstill with his hands placed on either side of his hips so he could strike his best superhero pose, soon beaming brightly and proudly at the loud claps and cheers he got in response, as well as the few wolf whistle's coming from his uncle Tripp.

"Oh my god! He's such an adorable little _Ninja Turtle! _I'm going to die due to extreme overload of cuteness!" exclaimed Fitz, as he instantly whipped out his cell phone and immediately started taking photo after photo of his adorable little nephew dressed up as the _Ninja Turtle _Leonardo before him.

Leo more than happily spun around in little circles and posed for his uncle taking photos of him, and so he could also properly show off his outfit that saw him dressed from head to toe as a bright green turtle and a little blue bandana covering his eyes that matched Jemma's, along with a medium sized shell attached to his back just like she had on hers too.

"Jemma! Dada next!" said Leo to his sister, as he pointed back towards the house.

"Do I have to?!" groaned Jemma with a roll of her eyes. "He's _SO_ embarrassing!"

"YESA!" yelled Leo, as he started to bounce up and down excitedly. "Cuz it my party!"

"Ugh! Fine!" said Jemma, sighing deeply, as she lifted the loudspeaker up to her mouth again. "Ladies, gentlemen and children it is with my greatest _embarrassment _to announce to you my big doofus of a daddy who is the one and the only..._Donaaaaaaaaatelloooooooooooooooo!"_

"She amazes me how much of a mini you she actually is with her dramatic flair and everything" commented May to Skye. "And how she speaks sometimes is just so grown up for her age."

"She's exactly like I was at 5 years old" laughed Skye, smiling proudly. "And just like I did she falls into the category of old head on young shoulders."

Before May could comment anything back she was stopped from doing so, though shocked would also suffice, by Grant suddenly running out of the kitchen and onto the patio dressed as a giant _Ninja Turtle _in an outfit that matched Leo's, with the only difference being he sported a purple bandana covering his eyes instead. And then in a blink and you'll miss it move he promptly tucked, dived and ninja rolled towards Leo, who immediately dived into his father's outstretched arms the moment he got close enough.

"Oh my gosh!" snorted Skye, as she burst out laughing at the sight of her husband before her. "I literally have no words!"

"Skye, I swear you married a really big kid at heart!" said Tripp, as he laughed that hard he nearly choked and had to be whacked on his back by Lourdes who was standing beside him and laughing along with him.

"You guys can laugh all that you want but me and Leo know we look SUPER COOL!" yelled Grant in a sing-song type of voice, as he put his right hand up in front of his son for a high five. "Right, my lil' ninja turtle, Leo?!"

"Yesa! SUPA COOL!" mimicked Leo, as he happily smacked his right hand over his father's held up one.

"Right on!" smiled Grant, as he bumped his shell with his young sons'. "Cowabunga, dude!"

"If I laugh any harder I'm going to need the toilet!" giggled Simmons with her face buried in the palm of her hands.

"First he's a Princess with a sparkly tiara for your big sister's birthday and then he's a giant _Ninja Turtle_ for your big brother's birthday..." said Coulson, chuckling, as he smiled down at Philip lying in his arms and completely oblivious to everything going on around him. "...I can't even begin to imagine what he's going to be for your birthday, Phil."

"Oh, _shiiii- _shoot!" exclaimed May all of a sudden, as she managed to stop herself from swearing out loudly just in time, due to remembering she was surrounded by small children everywhere she looked. "I just envisioned your father, Ward and the baby all dressed up as Captain America trying to out-do each other!"

"If I'm completely honest with you, mom..." said Skye, patting her mother lightly on her back. "...I highly anticipate that too."

As Grant and Leo more than happily continued to parade around dressed up as Leonardo and Donatello, much to every other small child's glee and amusement, all Skye and the others could do was watch and burst out laughing at the crazy antics coming from father and son before them.

* * *

The theme for Leo's birthday had originally been The Avengers that had focused more on Iron Man the most, due to him being Leo's favourite Avenger. But about a week before his birthday he'd changed his mind on the theme for his party just like Skye and Grant had predicted he'd most likely do, especially since Leo had always had a habit of changing his mind on things at the last minute like most children his age did. But Skye and Grant hadn't minded in the slightest and instead had more than happily gone along with the new theme that their young son had wanted for his birthday party in the _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. _

And so now everywhere you turned you more often than not came face to face with something that was _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles _related, due to the many streamers and banners that littered the house in the colours of blue, red, orange and purple, which were the colours of the 4 _Ninja Turtles _bandana's and all sporting their faces on them as well. There was also a gigantic banner hung up outside above both of the front and back doors of the house saying the words _'Happy 3rd Birthday, Leo!' _that each had the smiling faces of Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael on the right hand side with their thumbs up, while Splinter the rat did the same on the left hand side of the banners.

Outside in the large and spacious backyard where two giant bouncy castles that were of course _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles _themed and had small children constantly jumping up and down on top of them together, as they'd squeal in delight every time they ended up falling over each other. Spread out across more than one table on the patio were countless bowls of assorted crisps, candy bars, chocolate dip, pic 'n' mix, sandwiches, fruit courtesy of Leo's health nut of a father and many, many more goodies. There were also 4 really large Piñata's of each _Ninja Turtle _hanging up under one of the large oak trees for all of the children to take it in turns at whacking and trying to break open for the many treats inside.

As well as the bouncy castles and Piñata's to amuse the children with there were also games of _Pin The Tail On The Donkey, Musical Chairs, Tag! You're It! _and _What Time Is It Mr. Wolf? _going on courtesy of Skye, Grant, Lourdes and the rest of their family helping them out with in order to keep all of the children entertained and amused throughout the day.

* * *

As the day wore on and on and the night started slowly approaching them Skye had Leo and all of his friends gather inside the house so she could present him with his _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles _themed birthday cake, which she was pleased to see brought an instant smile to her young sons' face, as he breathed in as deeply as he could before breathing out to blow out his 3 candles while everyone sang _'Happy Birthday!' _to him that was followed with 3 loud _'Hip! Hip! Hooray's!' _afterwards. Once he was done blowing out his candles he then patiently waited for his mother to cut his birthday cake up so he could dig in along with his friends, though Leo of course got the biggest piece of all and naturally it just so happened to be Leonardo's smiling face.

Before the night completely set in and all of the other parents returned for their children Leo sat down in the living room surrounded by his family and friends to open up all of his presents. By the time he'd finished ripping everything open he'd ended up with countless toys that were anything and everything to do with _The Avengers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Thomas The Tank Engine, Umizoomi _and _PAW Patrol_, as well as countless teddy bears, action figures and clothes. And just like they had done back on Jemma's birthday a few months back Skye and Grant couldn't help but think to themselves how Leo was going to fit everything into his bedroom, but knew that he'd no doubt find a way somehow.

* * *

_Later that night..._

"Thank you for walking me to my car, Antoine" said Lourdes, smiling warmly at him after he'd helped her to buckle her sleeping son Dante into his car seat, while she did the same with her sleeping daughter Gabriella, both of them closing the doors afterwards. "It was really sweet of you."

"Well, you needed the extra hand in getting both kids back to the car since they were both passed out asleep..." replied Tripp casually, as he walked around her car towards her and flashed her a cheeky wink. "...that and I wanted to make sure you and the kids got back to your car safely."

"Like I said it was really sweet of you to do so" said Lourdes, blushing slightly, as she slowly leaned up on her tiptoes and graced his right cheek with a soft kiss before pulling back and smiling at him. "You're a true gentleman and there aren't many of you left in this world."

"That's because my momma raised a gentleman" smiled Tripp proudly. "And my grandfather helped her."

"I'm happy to hear that" said Lourdes, as she continued to smile at him. "It's nice knowing that chivalry isn't quite dead yet."

"Chivalry will never be dead" said Tripp, chuckling softly, as he opened the door to the driver's side for her. "You just gotta have good parents that teach you it like my momma did with me."

Lourdes just smiled at him once more as she felt her cheeks begin to flush red at his intense gaze. Glancing away from him before she did or said anything embarrassing she quickly slipped inside of her car and slid into the driver's seat.

"So, do you think we'll see each other again?" asked Tripp, grinning down at her.

"Keep on visiting Skye and Grant and I'm sure we will" replied Lourdes, as she grinned back up at him.

"And what if I ever want to see you without them being around?" asked Tripp cheekily.

"Then you'll have to call me sometime" said Lourdes, winking at him.

"In order for me to do that you'll have to give me your number" chuckled Tripp.

"If you wanna call me so badly, Antoine, then you'll have to flash those puppy dog like eyes and that cheeky smile of yours at Skye until she surrenders my number to you..." said Lourdes teasingly, as she pulled her car door shut before he could say anything else to her. As she started up the engine and started driving away she flashed him one last smile while mouthing the words _'Good luck!' _to him.

Tripp just stood there chuckling away to himself and watching her drive away until she was completely out of his sight, before turning back to head on into the house and re-join the others back in the living room where he'd left them.

"Did you have fun escorting Lourdes back to her car?" asked Skye in a teasing and playful tone when Tripp re-entered the living room. She was currently seated beside Grant on one of the sofa's with Jemma sprawled across her lap fast asleep and snoring lightly, as she'd yet to take her up to bed.

"Oh, hush!" said Tripp, frowning at her, as he flopped down onto the floor next to FitzSimmons, due to Coulson and May taking up all of the room on the other sofa.

"We should probably get these two to bed" said Grant, indicating to Jemma sprawled out fast asleep on Skye's lap and Leo sprawled out fast asleep on his lap. "And check in on Philip while we're up there."

"Good idea" said Skye, as she attempted to rise to her feet along with her husband.

"Before you two disappear upstairs to put the kids to bed there's something that me and Melinda wish to tell you both first" said Coulson, as he stopped them from rising to their feet. "It's pretty important."

"What is it?" asked Skye curiously. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine" said May, smiling softly. "We've just finally set a date for our wedding that's all."

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Skye excitedly, yet quietly so as not to wake her sleeping toddlers.

"It's set for 4 weeks from now" said Coulson, as he took May's hand in his own and squeezed it tightly. "We'd really like it if the two of you as well as the kids could all be there for it as well as a part of it."

"Where is it going to be exactly?" asked Grant, as he raised an inquisitive brow.

"Manhattan..." answered May, glancing between both Grant and Skye. "...at Stark Tower."

"You're getting married at Stark Tower?!" exclaimed Skye, biting down on her bottom lip harshly when Jemma stirred slightly on her lap. "Tony Stark is so going to be there!"

"Well, he does own the building..." said Coulson, chuckling at Skye's eyes practically glazing over at the mere thought of Tony Stark. _Now I know where Leo gets his admiration of Iron Man from... _"...so naturally he'll be there for everything."

"All of The Avengers will since they've known for a few years now that Phil is alive" said May. "Fury, Hill and a few others will be there as well. Basically everyone close to us that we trust with our lives."

"And we'd really like it if you and the kids were all there too" said Coulson, smiling hopefully.

"But that would mean..." said Skye, trailing off to glance over at her husband apprehensively.

"...coming out of hiding" said Grant, as he finished Skye's sentence for her.

"But then everyone that doesn't already know would then know for sure that we ended up together..." said Skye, as she once again trailed off but this time to swallow thickly.

"...and that after overcoming everything from our past we went on to have 3 children together" said Grant, yet again finishing where she left off, as he then cast his eyes down towards their still sound asleep and oblivious children sprawled out over their laps. _It's not possible. We can't do this to them and disturb the peaceful lives they live by exposing them to anything S.H.I.E.L.D. related just so they can attend their grandparents wedding. Can we?_

* * *

Coming out of hiding together after spending over 5 years on the run while keeping well hidden from not just everyone at S.H.I.E.L.D., but HYDRA too, along with other enemies they'd both made over the years was one thing. But letting everyone other than Coulson, May, FitzSimmons and Tripp, who they both trusted with not just their own lives but their children's lives as well, know that were still alive, happily married to each other and now had 3 innocent children together was another thing, because the lives they once used to live as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents was something they had always vowed to keep their children well and truly away from if they could. They didn't want them to ever know about that world or the lives their parents used to once live, and if they met The Avengers along with everyone else that they'd once known then they'd probably never want to leave. But when they both truly allowed themselves to think about it they knew that they couldn't keep the existence of their children a secret from everyone in their past a secret forever, and especially not after they'd allowed the team back into their lives again after so long spent apart.

As much as they both wanted to be a part of Coulson and May's wedding they now both had one very important question to ask themselves before agreeing. And that question was...

__Even if it is only letting The Avengers, Fury, Hill and a few other trusted allies know we're all back in Coulson, May, FitzSimmons and Tripp's lives i_s the wedding really worth the risk of coming out of hiding with our children to them as well just so that we can all attend?  
_


	18. A Hard Decision

**Here's a new chapter everyone! I hope you enjoy and feel free to let me know what you think :) I really wanted to write the conversation out that Grant and Skye have in this chapter so I hope you like it. After this I'm sure ya'll will guess where I'm going next for the story, to which the rating at one point is going to be upped from K to T, but no higher. xD**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. However, I do own my OC's of Jemma Ward, Leo Ward and Philip 'Phil' Ward.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 18: A Hard Decision**

After Leo's 3rd birthday the team had returned back to the Bus due to having to return to work alongside Coulson and May resuming the final planning for their upcoming wedding, thus leaving Skye and Grant once again to their own devices with their 3 young children. Since they'd last seen the team they'd talked about possibly attending Coulson and May's wedding and what it would possibly mean for them as a family to come out of hiding with their children after over 5 years spent on the run and in hiding together, thus revealing to Fury, Hill, The Avengers and other trusted friends and allies of their former teammates that they had indeed ended up with each other and had subsequently started a family together. They'd been given just over a week to decide if they would be attending the wedding or not, due to Coulson and May needing enough time to reveal to everyone that would also be attending that Skye and Grant would be too, what had happened with them in the 5 years they'd been gone, how the team had finally found them again and why they had waited so long to reveal it to everyone else. They also needed adequate time in making sure that everyone accepted everything they were told and that the past was the past and that's how it was going to stay, as neither Skye nor Grant, especially Grant, were to be touched by anyone or taken from their children. And since Coulson was still the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. with May as his Deputy Director they could easily make sure they were never touched and left alone once again after their wedding. May had also took Skye aside and told her that she would love for little Jemma to be a flower girl and little Leo to be a page boy, so after just over a week she'd need to know so she could get their outfits ready for them if they'd be attending.

Over the next week Skye and Grant had discussed the wedding whenever they could and whenever their children were out of earshot so they couldn't overhear them and get excited over something that might not happen. However, each discussion had so far ended in many arguments between them, due to Skye being more eager than Grant to come out of hiding and attend Coulson and May's wedding. Skye, however, really wanted to attend and was determined to get her husband to agree if she could, since she'd never attend the wedding without him or take their children with her against his wishes.

* * *

Striding into the kitchen one Monday morning Grant flashed his wife a smile who was juggling their baby son Philip on her left hip while doing her best attempt at multitasking in holding him and making Jemma and Leo their packed lunches for the day. As he made his way over towards the kitchen table in the middle of the room he placed tender kisses atop the heads of his young son and daughter who were quietly sitting beside each other munching on their _Lucky Charms_ cereal for breakfast.

"Grant?" called out Skye, spinning around to face her husband. "Will you take Philip for a few minutes? I'm trying to finish making Jemma and Leo's jam sandwiches and he keeps squirming about all over the place. At this rate his foot is going to find it's way into the jam jar!"

"Sure thing, sweetheart" chuckled Grant, as he strode towards her and happily scooped his baby son from her arms and into his own. "Hey there, lil' man. How are you this morning, hmm? Besides being eager for a tiny foot covered in jam that is."

Philip merely scrunched up his tiny nose, started crying and fussing about in his father's arms, clearly disgruntled at having been removed from his mother's arms.

"Shh, Phil, shh, there's a good boy now" cooed Grant soothingly, as he rocked his baby son in his arms. "Mommy will give you some more cuddles as soon as she's finished making your big brother and big sister's lunches, okay? So until then you'll have to do with ones from Daddy instead."

"Dada's cuddles are da BEST!" exclaimed Leo, beaming up at his father from his bowl of cereal.

"Why thank you, Leo" beamed Grant right back, as he reached out and ruffled his hair. "I try my best in the cuddle department."

"You're Daddy has always been an amazing cuddler" said Skye, smiling lovingly from her children to her husband, as she momentarily allowed her mind to drift and thought back to many a different memory she had of her nights first spent on the run with Grant where she'd quickly found out that he was a secret cuddler and would cuddle up to her throughout the night however much he could. Skye couldn't help but allow the wide smile that was forming to spread across her face at her memories, as cuddling with Grant was something she'd always loved to do and even to this day that hadn't changed since he still loved to cuddle up to her whenever he got the chance.

"Daddy is just a big softie at heart" giggled Jemma.

"There's nothing wrong with that, Jem Jem" chuckled Grant, sticking his tongue out playfully at his young daughter, as he then sat down in the empty chair beside Leo so he could prop Philip up into a sitting position on his lap and bounce him up and down to soothe his cries.

"And finally the sandwiches are done!" exclaimed Skye triumphantly, wrapping them up in tin foil and placing Leo's into his _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles _themed lunchbox that he'd gotten for his birthday and Jemma's into her _Frozen _lunchbox that she'd gotten for hers. "Now just for some tasty snacks, some fruit, your drinks and your both good to go!"

Once Skye was done with Jemma and Leo's packed lunches she set about finishing getting them both ready for the rest of the day while Grant remained seated at the kitchen table happily bouncing Philip up and down on his lap, who had now stopped crying and was instead smiling and squealing in amusement at his father pulling goofy faces at him.

"Alright, Mr. Goofball, time to hand over our baby" said Skye, as she gently prised Philip from her husband's arms and into her own, instantly cuddling him close to her chest and smiling down at him smiling cutely back up at her, as he quite happily settled back into his mother's loving arms.

"He's such a Mummy's boy" laughed Grant softly, as he smoothed the hair down on Philip's head tenderly before dipping his head and giving his wife a loving and tender kiss. "I'll be back to spend some quality time with you and Philip as soon as I've dropped Jemma off at school and Leo at nursery."

"Okay, sweetie" nodded Skye, as she leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him again. "Me and Philip will be chilling out together while we wait for you to get back."

"See you later, Mummy!" yelled Jemma cheerily, as she hugged her mother goodbye and placed a soft little kiss atop her baby brother's forehead. "You too, Philip!"

"Bye, bye, Mommy!" yelled Leo, as he too hugged his mother goodbye, giving her a sloppy kiss on her right cheek as he did so. "Bye, bye, Philip!" smiled Leo to his baby brother, giving him a big sloppy kiss on his nose.

"Come on you two or you're gonna be late for registration" said Grant, flashing his wife a smile before taking a hold of Jemma and Leo's hands and ushering them from the living room.

"And now it's time for some Mommy and son cuddles on the sofa!" smiled Skye, as she flopped down onto the sofa and peppered Philip's face with soft little kisses, which instantly made him smile and giggle.

* * *

After dropping off Jemma at school and Leo at nursery for the day Grant returned home and walked into the living room to see his wife lounging back on the sofa watching some random reality TV show while their baby son slept peacefully in his Moses basket on the floor beside her. "Decided to bring his Moses basket down, huh?"

"Hm?" murmured Skye, as she tilted her head towards her husband and smiled when she saw him. "You're back. I didn't even hear you come in. As for Philip I wanted him close to me since he was being a little bit clingy."

"Like I said before taking Jemma to school and Leo to nursery Philip is a Mummy's boy" chuckled Grant, as he flopped down onto the sofa beside his wife after lifting her legs up and spreading them out across his lap.

"And that's exactly how I like him" smiled Skye. "Especially since Leo is a Daddy's boy and you've even got Jemma as a Daddy's girl. That's two to my one."

"Well, to even out the score we just need to have another kid one day" winked Grant a little roguishly.

"Wink like that at me in another, hmm, I'm gonna go with 5 years and you got it!" giggled Skye, as she poked him in his chest playfully with her right foot. "I told you when Philip was born that I'm done for at least a good few years and I think 5 is a pretty good number."

"Y'know if I remember correctly when Philip was born you told me you were done period" chuckled Grant. "But then you also said that after Jemma and Leo were born too, so I already know you're prone to changing your mind easily."

"I'd like to see what you would be saying after you've carried a child for 9 months and then spent over 18 agonising hours bringing that child into the world since that's how long Jemma took to make her appearance!" sighed Skye. "And if I remember correctly, to which I definitely do, then 15 hours for Leo and a little over 12 hours for Philip!"

"In that case you should look at it this way, sweetheart…" said Grant, trailing off to grin at her cheekily. "…you're probably looking at something like a 9 hour labor with baby number four since you keep cutting off 3 hours of labor with each pregnancy."

"I'mma hit you with a cushion, Grant Douglas Ward!" said Skye threateningly, but in a playful way. "You've seen the movie _Junior. _I think it's your turn next."

"Nice try!" snorted Grant. "But there's a reason men don't have babies. And I'm a man that isn't afraid to admit that there's no way in hell we'd be able to survive the pain women go through giving birth. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain thanks to years of being a specialist and pretty much having too but childbirth? No thanks."

"Well, at least you're honest" laughed Skye, stretching and settling her feet across his lap so she was a little more comfortable. "Sooo, you're in a pretty good mood, right?"

"Yes, but now I'm more so in an apprehensive mood since you asked me that" replied Grant, brows furrowing. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just that while you were out my Mom called me and…" said Skye, stopping when she saw him release an exasperated sigh and roll his eyes at the conversation he knew fine well was coming next. "...anyway, she uhh, well, she kinda needs to know if Jemma is going to be a flower girl and Leo a page boy at her and my Dad's wedding so she was calling to ask if we'd made a decision in attending yet or not."

"And what did you tell her?" asked Grant, glancing over at her.

"I told her we still haven't decided" replied Skye. "We've got until the end of the day to decide and let her know. Because the team are all meeting tonight at Stark Tower where everyone is gonna be for the rehearsal dinner and what not, so if we've decided by then she, my Dad, FitzSimmons and Tripp were gonna finally let everyone know about us and that we'd be attending."

"I see" muttered Grant under his breath, sighing once more, as he glanced over towards the TV.

"Grant, we need to make a decision already…" sighed Skye, trailing off to hoist herself up into a sitting position so she could reach out towards him and tilt his face back towards hers. "…just talk to me, please? Tell me what your honestly thinking and feeling. Don't shut down or shut me out because you haven't done that for years and I never want you to start again."

"If you want total honesty then I want to go to the wedding but only because I know how much it'll mean to you and our children to go, especially you" said Grant truthfully. "But then I also don't want to go to the wedding because I don't want anyone else knowing where we are or knowing about our children other than Coulson, May, FitzSimmons and Tripp, to which I still think at times is one too many people. No one else is going to understand why you forgave me for everything that I did and went into hiding with me like the team did. Or why you decided to have children with me. I'm going to be public enemy number one like I've always been and the worst thing about it is that this time Jemma and Leo will find out things they are not only too young to understand but that I also never want them to learn."

"Oh, baby" said Skye, her heart practically breaking over him feeling everything that he currently did. Shuffling closer to him she was soon straddling his lap while he rested his hands on either side of her hips. "You aren't going to be public enemy number one because I won't let anyone refer to you like that or even think about you in that way. I will drill it into everyone's skulls if I have too exactly what kind of a man you are now and how you're past doesn't always have to define you. You did horrible things in the past and you've red in your ledger for life because of them but you've overcome them too just like others have. It's like I've always told you over the years that S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA are no different from each other when we truly think about it because agents from both sides do horrible things all the time, and sometimes for the same reasons, but unless you're S.H.I.E.L.D. then you'll never be praised for the horrible things you've done. But you can overcome them, just like you have, and become a better person in the process which you definitely have. Our children are proof of that."

"I love you so much, Skye" smiled Grant, as he leaned forward and claimed her own smiling lips to his own lovingly. "You've always known just what to say to make me feel better."

"Because I know you better than anyone and just like you know me better than anyone" smiled Skye, as she nuzzled her nose tenderly against his. "And I know that you've become an amazing man over the years. One who has the right to be proud of himself and stand tall in front of others who might be nothing but petty and dumb before giving him a real chance while he just stands there in front of them proudly and proves that he's better than them. And that's exactly what you'll do if we go to the wedding and anyone dares to judge you. I'll be your loving wife that's right by your side throughout supporting you along the way no matter what with our children who love their Daddy to bits and will do a damn good job of showing everyone around them just how much they do too."

"I swear if we weren't already married then I would've dropped to my knees and asked you to marry me after hearing all of that" smiled Grant pretty goofily. "I really don't know what I did in my life to ever deserve a woman like you."

"We were two broken people that never really had a family growing up that just got lucky enough to find each other along the way" said Skye, as she lovingly trailed her finger down his left cheek. "We gave each other what we've always wanted and that's a family. You're the love of my life and the father of my children. I wouldn't change any of that for the world."

"Neither would I, sweetheart" smiled Grant, feeling his heart start thudding madly in his chest over how much he truly loved Skye and loved to hear her saying everything that she currently was to him. "You're the love of my life too. You always have been and you always will be. There's no one else in this world that I'd rather have as my wife and the mother of my children than you."

"So, Grant Douglas Ward, will you be my date to my parents wedding?" asked Skye, kissing him softly and leaning her forehead against his.

"Anything for you" answered Grant, smiling up at her a little faintly since he was still unsure deep down that going to the wedding was a good idea, but at the end of the day he really would do anything for Skye, because all he ever wanted was to make his wife and children happy. "Let's go to the wedding."

"YES! Thank you, baby! Oh, I love you so much!" squealed Skye loudly in excitement, as she flung her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. "You're the best husband ever! And no matter what happens I promise you that I'll be by your side throughout everything and will rip right into anyone that even dares to look at you in the wrong way! And I think it's pretty safe to say that my parents, FitzSimmons and Tripp will too."

"Here's hoping it doesn't come down to that, yeah?" chuckled Grant, as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her too him tightly, his head resting lightly atop her shoulder as he breathed in the strawberry flavoured scent from her shampoo she'd obviously used on her hair this morning when in the shower. "But thank you, darling. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You're never going to have to find out so don't worry" said Skye against his ear, kissing his earlobe tenderly. "I love you. Always and forever."

"I love you too" smiled Grant. "Always and forever."

And then just as Skye and Grant pulled away from each other to lean in for a loving kiss did Philip decide that was the perfect moment to wake up and start crying.

"It appears our peace is shattered" laughed Skye, as she quickly pecked her husband on his lips before manoeuvring herself off his lap so she could stand to her feet and scoop their son up into her arms from his Moses basket. "Are you feeling left out and wanting some cuddles from Mummy and Daddy, hmm?"

As Skye sat back down beside him Grant couldn't help but smile at her and their baby son adoringly, his heart swelling with nothing but love for them. _I really don't know what I did in my life to deserve such an amazing woman as Skye who I have three beautiful children with. But whatever it was I'm eternally grateful for it… _he couldn't help but think to himself as Skye settled herself contently against his side and placed Philip across both of their laps so they could coo and fuss over their son together, who after a couple of seconds of them doing so had stopped crying to smile and giggle up at his silly parents being total dorks for his benefit.


	19. Kids On The Bus (1)

**We're now getting to the Philinda Wedding chapters and I hope you enjoy everything I've planned, as I'll be bringing in all of The Avengers who will each be bringing along some little guests of their own, to which you'll see as you read on ;) Also, this chapter is split into 3 separate parts that will each be titled '**_**Kids On The Bus'. **_

**(I was recently asked by a guest about my The Missing Years prequel and the answer is yes I'm still writing it, but due to having more than one ongoing fic I'm attempting to write down between 15-20 chapters before posting anything on it and I just recently started writing chapter 13. So, please just be patient a little while longer ;D)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. However, I do own my OC's of Jemma Ward, Leo Ward, Philip "Phil" Ward, Margaret "Maggie" Rogers and James Rogers.**

* * *

**Chapter 19: Kids On The Bus (I)**

_3 Weeks Later…  
_

"This place is SO cool!" exclaimed Jemma, as she happily ran onto the giant plane in front of her and came to a stop in the cargo hold. "I've never been on an aeroplane before!"

"This is no ordinary aeroplane though" said Simmons, as she walked out of the lab smiling and with Fitz by her side. "Because this aeroplane has bunks for everyone to sleep in, a lab for me and your Uncle Fitz to work in, a really big kitchenette, a lounge area to relax in and many more rooms that I'm sure you'll have fun exploring!"

"Do you all live here?" asked Jemma, wide eyed at the thought. "Cuz if you do then I wanna live here too!"

"As much as we would love for you to live here with us I'm afraid it's not suitable for children to live on in the long run and you'd find yourself rather bored if you lived here permanently, which even we do at times, but we have to live here as much as we do because of our jobs" smiled Simmons, as she bent down until she was eye level with her young niece. "But your welcome to come and visit us here again and stay from time to time."

"Can we do that, Daddy?!" asked Jemma excitedly, as she spun around to face her father with a wide smile who was standing behind her. "Can we?!"

"We'll see how it goes, Princess" said Grant, smiling tenderly down at his young daughter, swallowing a little thickly as he did so, since he'd been expecting Jemma to become excited about living on the Bus at one point but he hadn't expected it to be pretty much as soon as they'd set foot into the cargo hold. "Right now we're only here so you're Grandma May can get us all to where her and your Grandpa Phil will be having their wedding."

"I still don't know where that is" said Jemma, sighing a little frustratedly. "I've been told nothin'!"

"That's because it's a surprise, lil' lady!" chuckled Tripp, as he came striding onto the Bus holding a sleeping Philip in his arms who was cradled against his chest and quite contently suckling on his light blue pacifier that sported the letter _'P' _in white. "But trust me when I say that you're gonna love it when we get there!"

"Do you want me to take Phil from you?" asked Grant, indicating towards his sleeping baby son in Tripp's arms.

"Nah, I've got him" said Tripp, shaking his head with a smile. "I think Skye needs your help gettin' lil' Leo outta the car though, since he was on the verge of a temper tantrum when I was gettin' lil' Phil out."

"He's calmed down now" said Skye, as she stepped onto the Bus holding Leo in her arms who was resting on her left hip. "He's just tired because he didn't sleep well last night so he's a little grumpy that's all."

"Poor lil' guy" said Fitz, as he walked over towards Skye and ruffled his young nephew's hair playfully. "What kept him up all night?"

"It was raining and storming a little last night and he doesn't like it when it does because the wind and rain outside rattle against his bedroom window and keep him awake" replied Skye, as she smoothed Leo's hair down after Fitz had messed it up and then placed a loving kiss atop his forehead, soon smiling to herself when he rested his head on her chest and cuddled his plush toy of the _Ninja Turtle _Leonardo closer to his chest. "He ended up sneaking into bed with me and Grant so he could cuddle up to us throughout the night."

"And then every time he woke up after that was because Philip would wake him up whenever he started crying, since the noises from the weather outside were keeping him awake too and his cries travel through the baby monitor into our bedroom" said Grant, sighing a little tiredly, since he was pretty tired too.

"Bad weather don't bother me!" smiled Jemma proudly. "I'mma heavy sleeper!"

"Just like Mummy at times!" laughed Skye softly.

"Hopefully he'll sleep a little better on the Bus tonight then since it's going to take us until morning to get to Manhattan I'm afraid" said Simmons, glancing at everyone.

"Where are we all sleeping while we're all here anyway?" asked Grant curiously, furrowing his brows a little. "If my memory serves me correctly then there aren't enough bunks for everyone to sleep in and I don't want to be separated from my children throughout the night in case they get scared or need me and Skye for anything."

"Relax, man, because this plane is a lot bigger than what you remember it to be" chuckled Tripp. "Plus, there are a few extra bunks these days and all of the bunks are a lot bigger now with double beds. Coulson has already set up two of the biggest ones for you, Skye and the kids to sleep in."

"You'll actually be sleeping in Skye's old bunk" smiled Simmons. "May placed a tiny crib in there last night for Philip to sleep in while Jemma and Leo will be sleeping in the bunk right next door to you both so you can check on them whenever you want to."

"That's so sweet of my Mom to give us a little crib for Philip to sleep in as we were just going to place him in his Moses basket for the night!" beamed Skye over her mother's consideration.

"Speaking of Coulson and May where are they?" asked Grant curiously. "I'm surprised they weren't here to greet us as well. Or that Coulson isn't stealing Philip away from Tripp yet."

"They're currently upstairs in Coulson's office talking to, umm, well you'll see soon enough…" answered Fitz, trailing off a little meekly before continuing. "...it's not just all of us on the Bus for the night I'm afraid, as we had to pick up some others that were nearby on our way to get you so they'll be staying on the Bus with us all tonight too."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like whoever is here?" sighed Grant deeply.

"Don't worry too much, Grant. Just relax, okay?" said Skye, as she reached out and squeezed his arm reassuringly. "Whatever happens I've got your back."

"Thank you, sweetheart" smiled Grant. "That means a lot."

"Everything'll be okay, Ward" smiled Tripp reassuringly, as he set off for the spiral staircase with a still sleeping Philip in his arms. "C'mon, let's get everyone settled in."

"I'm hungry!" exclaimed Jemma just as her stomach grumbled loudly.

"Let's go and do something about then shall we?" smiled Simmons warmly at her young niece, as she took a hold of her hand and bounded up the spiral staircase with her towards the kitchenette for a snack.

"Hey, Fitz?" called out Grant after Fitz who had set off to follow after Simmons and Jemma, but stopped when he heard his name and turned back around to face Grant. "Who is it that's upstairs with Coulson and May in Coulson's office?"

"Umm, it's uhh, just come upstairs and you'll see…" replied Fitz with a small smile. "…but don't worry because they've been briefed you'll be arriving today and they know you're not to be touched or treated differently than everyone else. Everyone that will be attending the wedding knows that too so don't worry, yeah?"

Grant just flashed a weak smile at Fitz as he took off once more up the spiral staircase.

"C'mon, babe, let's go and face the music together, yeah?" said Skye, leaning up on her tiptoes and kissing him tenderly, as she then took his hand in her own and led him up the spiral staircase while keeping a tight hold of Leo in her arms as she did so.

* * *

_A few minutes later…_

"There you all are!" beamed Coulson upon seeing Skye, Grant, Leo and Jemma all wander into the lounge. "I'm so happy that you all decided to come to the wedding!"

"We wouldn't miss the wedding for anything in the world" smiled Skye, kissing her father on his cheek when he approached her.

"Good to know" said May, as she walked into the lounge with a smile across her face and pulled Skye into a hug when she got close enough. "I'm really happy that you all could make it after all and that Jemma could be one of the flower girls and Leo one of the page boys."

"I can't wait to be a flower girl, Grandma May!" beamed Jemma brightly at the thought. "When do I get to try on my dress?!"

"As soon as we get to where we'll all be staying in Manhattan since your dress along with brother's page boy suit, your Mummy's dress and your Daddy's tux are all in Manhattan" said May, as she smiled tenderly down at her young granddaughter and bopped her on her nose lovingly with her finger.

"You got me a tux?" asked Grant, quirking his brows.

"And you got me a dress?" asked Skye, smiling.

"Of course we did. Me and Melinda have planned everything out so I hope you like what we chose for you both" said Coulson, chuckling softly. "So, where's little Phil?"

"Tripp currently has him and he's down in the lab with FitzSimmons" said Skye, smirking a little. "You'll have to battle him for some cuddles from Philip I'm afraid."

"Where's Biscuit?" asked May, glancing around and not seeing their dog anywhere in sight. "Did you not bring Biscuit with you?"

"We thought Biscuit and the guinea pigs might be a little too much alongside the kids" chuckled Grant. "So we've left them with Lourdes who said she'd look after them while we were gone. Gabriella and Dante were pretty excited about looking after them too."

"That's a shame as I think the other kids would've really liked having Biscuit around" commented May.

"What do you mean the other kids?" asked Skye curiously, as she shifted Leo in her arms a little since he'd been drooping downwards due to falling asleep not too long ago. "What other kids were you talking about?"

Before anyone could answer Skye they were distracted from doing so by a little girl of no more than 5 appearing out of nowhere and wrapping her arms around Coulson's waist from behind, poking her head around his right side a little shyly, as her long brown curls hung loosely over her shoulders. "Who are all those people, Uncle Phil?"

"I was wondering where you were and how long it'd take you to make an appearance" smiled Coulson, as he crouched down in front of her with a soft smile. "These people are close friends of mine as well as your Auntie May's. Would you like to meet them and their children? Because I know they'll all love to meet you and I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you wanted to play with their children for a little bit afterwards and show them around the plane."

"They might not mind…" came the voice of Agent Maria Hill, as she stepped into the lounge, a young blonde boy of no more than 2 in her arms and resting on her right hip. "…but I do."

"Agent Hill, we've been talking about this for the past hour…" sighed Coulson, as he rose to his feet and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"I do remember" said Maria, reaching out her hand and tugging her young daughter away from Coulson. "But what you seem to not remember is me telling you that I don't want my daughter or son anywhere near them. Especially Ward."

"The past is the past, Maria" said May sternly, approaching her friend. "Just try to be civil. Please?"

"You all might have forgiven him for everything he did in the past and moved on, but I still haven't and nor have I forgotten what he said to me when I was aboard the quinjet with Tripp about me and Natasha" said Maria a little bitterly. "Now, if you don't mind I'm going to go and put my son down for his nap."

"Well that went well..." muttered Skye sarcastically under her breath as Maria left the room with her children and not even a backwards glance. "...and man we've really been gone a long time since I didn't even know she now had kids!"

"If I'm honest I can't blame her for still being angry at me since what I said about her and Romanoff was uncalled for, even if I was just lashing out because she dealt the first quip" said Grant, sighing.

"Exactly! She dealt the first quip so she needs to get over herself already!" exclaimed Skye. "It was over 5 years ago now. She needs to move on like everyone else and start acting like an adult in front of her kids."

"I'm really sorry" said Coulson apologetically. "Jemma and Leo would've really liked playing with Maggie and James."

"Who are Maggie and James?" asked Jemma, frowning slightly, as she had absolutely no idea what had just happened around her.

"They would be my children…" answered none other than Steven "Steve" Rogers, otherwise known as Captain America, stride into the lounge and come to a stop beside Coulson. "…my children with Maria."

_"Holy shit!"_ exclaimed Skye upon seeing him stride into the room, her free hand immediately flying up to her mouth in shock.

"Mummy! You said a _swear!"_ gasped Jemma, as she looked up at her mother with her hand covering her mouth that was currently all agape.

"I did?! Oh, I did! I'm so sorry, sweetie! I didn't mean to! Whatever you do never repeat that, okay?!" exclaimed Skye, biting down on her bottom lip meekly before turning back towards Steve with a wide smile. "It's just not every day that you get to meet Captain America!"

"That isn't Captain America, Mummy, because he's wearing normal clothes and Captain America has a mask, a suit and a shield" said Jemma, giggling at her mother.

"That's right he does…" said Skye, laughing. "…my mistake, sweetie."

"Don't sweat it" smiled Steve, flashing Skye a mischievous wink, as he leaned closer to her and whispered into her ear. "I'm sure tomorrow for fun after a change of clothes she'll think otherwise."

"Even I'm looking forward to that!" beamed Skye, smiling back at him. "I just can't believe that I'm actually meeting you! It's an honour!"

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Skye" smiled Steve warmly, as he extended his hand out towards her to shake and then did the same towards Grant afterwards. "You too, Grant."

"Likewise, Steve" said Grant, shaking his hand. "You're friendlier than your wife that's for sure, as I assume Agent Hill is your wife."

"Yes, Maria is my wife" nodded Steve. "We've been together for a little over 5 years after we got together after the events of what happened at The Triskelion. We married a little over 3 years ago."

"And Maggie and James are your children together?" asked Skye, still smiling at him, as she still couldn't believe she was actually talking to _Captain freaking America._

"Yes, that's right" said Steve, turning back to face her. "We had Maggie pretty quickly after we got together as she was unplanned but a more than pleasant surprise. And then we had James a year after we married. But unlike his sister he was planned."

"Aweh! That's so sweet!" smiled Skye. "I love their names, especially Maggie."

"Margaret Rose Rogers and James Buchanan Rogers are their full names" smiled Steve. "We named Margaret after Peggy Carter, since Margaret was her real name, but as a nickname we call our daughter Maggie instead of Peggy. As for James he's named after a close friend of mine who I'm sure you've head of in James Buchanan Barnes, otherwise known as Bucky Barnes."

"Or the Winter Soldier" nodded Skye, chewing on her bottom lip.

"He hasn't been the Winter Soldier for a few years now" said Steve.

"Is Bucky going to be at the wedding too?" asked Grant curiously.

"Yes, he will be" replied Steve, glancing towards him. "It's been a long time since everything happened and Bucky is just like he used to be again and has long since recovered from everything that happened to him."

"Who are you talking about?" asked Jemma, furrowing her brows at Steve. "I don't know what any of you are talking about."

"Just some old friends" said May, as she stepped towards her granddaughter and took a hold of her hand. "Now, how about I take you on a tour of the Bus, hmm?"

"Okay!" beamed Jemma, as she happily let her grandmother lead her from the lounge. "Why do you call the aeroplane a Bus, Grandma May? Because it is definitely NOT a Bus!"

"She's as inquisitive as ever!" chuckled Grant, shaking his head at his young daughter's remark as she left the lounge with May.

"I want to apologise for Maria" said Steve once it was just himself, Coulson, Grant and Skye, though Skye was still cradling Leo to her chest but he was fast asleep and completely oblivious to everything that had gone on around him. "Spend a lot of time with her and you'll soon learn that Maria can hold a serious grudge. But if you give her some time I'm sure she'll get over it eventually."

"If it helps I'll gladly apologise to her for what I said about her and Romanoff over 5 years ago" said Grant, smiling faintly. "I don't want to cause any more trouble so I'll more than happily apologise if that's what it takes to put the past behind me and Agent Hill."

"You can try if you want but it might take more than one attempt of apologizing" said Steve, sighing. "I'll talk to her for you. But in the meantime I just want you both to know that I have no problem with you both attending the wedding or your children hanging around mine. The past is the past and we can't change it, but we can learn to move on from it. So that's what I'm willing to do and especially if it means that Phil and Melinda have a wedding to remember and one that they can enjoy."

"Thank you, Steve" said Grant, sighing in relief. "I really appreciate that."

"So do I" said Skye, smiling between her husband and Steve. "We're all adults so we need to act like that and especially around our kids."

"I couldn't agree more, Skye" said Steve, patting her lightly on her shoulder, as he glanced between her, Grant and Coulson. "I'm going to go and find my wife and have a little chat with her. I'll see you all a little later I'm sure."

"Oh my god! I can't believe I just met Captain America!" squealed Skye giddily once he'd left the lounge, as she then bit down on her bottom lip to stop herself from squealing any louder when Leo squirmed in her arms but kept his eyes closed.

"I gotta admit he's a pretty great guy" said Grant sincerely. "I'm surprised he settled down with Agent Hill though."

"They became a lot closer after the attack on The Triskelion" said Coulson, smiling between them. "They've been together ever since and quite happily. Maria is not normally like this which you'll see if you just give her a chance. But just like Steve says she can hold a serious grudge."

"Well, if we can't make her come around then I just know that Jemma and Leo will because they're extremely overprotective of their Daddy" said Skye, smiling at her husband and placing a soft kiss against his lips. "Me and the kids have your back no matter what, honey."

"What ever would I do without you, hmm?" smiled Grant, laughing softly, as he dipped his head and reclaimed her smiling lips to his own once more.

"Okay, so I'm, uh, gonna go find Mel and Jemma…" said Coulson awkwardly. "…because I really don't need to witness you making out with my daughter, Ward."

"Sorry, Coulson, but it's just what married couples do!" smirked Grant. "You and May will see that soon enough."

Coulson merely let out an exasperated sigh as he left them both to their own devices.

"So I think we're kinda 50/50 on things going well and not so well so far I'd say" sighed Grant, running a shaky hand through his hair. "Hopefully Agent Hill will be the only one to show signs of animosity towards me."

"Don't worry about what other people think of you, Grant" said Skye, as she reached out her right hand towards him and caressed his cheek lovingly with her thumb. "Because I love you and our children love you too. And I know the team do as well in their own little ways. Our opinions are the only ones that count at the end of the day. Nothing anyone else says or does will ever change how much we all love and adore you."

"You really are the best wife ever" smiled Grant, as he dipped his head once more and kissed her passionately, only stopping when Leo started squirming in her arms once more. "C'mon, let's go and put him down for a proper nap or he's just going to wake up grumpy again."

"Sounds like a plan" said Skye, happily taking his hand in hers and setting off towards the bunks with him.

Leo, meanwhile, more than happily cuddled back up to his mother's chest as content as could be and still oblivious to everything going on around him.


	20. Kids On The Bus (2)

**I apologise for the extremely long wait on this chapter guys and I hope ya'll are still interested in reading! :) I'm doing my best to get back into my writing and updating with all of my fics since after the way the show decided to go, especially the S2 finale, it ended up putting a major dent in my writing muse for a while. But I'm slowly getting back now since deciding fanfiction is where I'd just personally rather live! ^.^ I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter and feel free to let me know what you think! :)**

**THE MISSING YEARS UPDATE:** **To everyone that is still interested and has enquired via reviews regarding my prequel to this story entitled How Could I Want More? (The Missing Years) then I'm indeed still working on it and should hopefully have the first chapter to it posted sometime next week! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. However, I do own my OC's of Jemma Ward, Leo Ward, Philip "Phil" Ward, Margaret "Maggie" Rogers and James Rogers.**

* * *

**Chapter 20: Kids On The Bus (ll)**

After putting Leo down for a nap in the bunk next to theirs Skye went off in search of May and Jemma, soon finding them in the cockpit as May got the Bus in the air with little Jemma's help who she was allowing to act as her co-pilot and much to Jemma's enjoyment that Skye was more than happy to witness.

Grant, meanwhile, retrieved little Philip from Tripp down in the lab to see if he could also manage to put him down for a nap as well.

Philip, however, didn't agree with his father at all and proceeded to fuss and cry instead, while refusing to be soothed by anyone. Eventually Simmons had put his grumpiness down to the change in altitude that the Bus brought with it now being airborne. Fitz had then chimed in with how he was now just like every other fussy baby that ever flew on an aeroplane.

Not long after the Bus was finally en-route to Manhattan and everyone else was settled down somewhere, with Skye entertaining Jemma in the lounge and Leo still taking his nap, Grant wandered off into the kitchenette to get himself a snack while also hoping the walk would ease Philip's fussiness, who he had securely cradled into the crook of his left arm.

"Hey there..." said Grant tentatively, as he entered the kitchenette and saw Maria heating up a bottle of milk for her young son, James, who she had resting on her right hip, his head lightly resting on her shoulder as he fought to keep awake as much as he could. "...I, uh, I just came to make a snack."

"I won't be a minute" said Maria, glancing at him briefly before turning her attention away from him again. "Once I've got James' bottle the kitchenette is all yours."

"Take your time" said Grant, as he casually leaned back against one of the counter's not far from her, gently rocking Philip in his arms as he did so. "It's more than big enough for the four of us."

Maria merely released an exasperated sigh in response, as she slowly swayed back and forth on her feet to soothe James who was now starting to fidget in her arms a little bit.

"I know it probably doesn't mean much to you, but..." said Grant, as he approached the subject as carefully as he could. "...I'm sorry about what I said to you all of those years ago. It was uncalled for towards you and Romanoff. I shouldn't have said it and I'm sorry."

"Even if I was the one that dealt the first blow when I referred to you as Garrett's lapdog?" asked Maria, as she turned around to face him and leaned back against the counter she was standing near.

"Is that your way of apologising for what you said to me as well?" asked Grant, quirking his right brow up at her.

"No, because it was true and you don't deserve an apology" said Maria, deadpanned. "It's not just about what you said to me, Ward. I don't like you for many reasons."

"Apart from that quip about you and Romanoff what have I ever done to you to make you so hostile towards me?" asked Grant, frowning.

"Do you remember everything that I said to you over 5 years ago now? If not then allow me to refresh your memory a little" replied Maria. "I've never liked you, Ward, not since our first sit down together when Coulson promoted you to Level 7 and took you aboard his team. I vetted you myself. I went over your S.H.I.E.L.D. file and every record I could find on you. But you were clean and perfect down on paper, albeit with horrible people skills, but now we both know that was all just a lie and a part of your cover."

"I'm sorry, okay? I really am. I'm sorry for everything that I did and if I could go back in time and change it all then I would" said Grant, sighing. "But then if I did that I probably wouldn't be married to Skye right now with three children. And when it comes to marrying Skye and having three children with her then I wouldn't want to change any of that."

"Personally I think Skye would've been better off without you" said Maria, furrowing her brows at him. "At least then she wouldn't be stuck with the duplicitous low life you turned out to be."

"You have no idea who I turned out to be because you haven't been around me for the last 5 years!" snapped Grant, his voice rising slightly in rising anger. "I have done all that I can to make up for everything that I did! I've done all that I can to redeem myself even though at times I don't believe I ever deserved the second chance that Skye gave me to try and be a better man, even if it was just in her eyes! But I've tried and I'm still trying! I'll never stop! So regardless of what you personally think of me I am a good man, a good husband and a damn good father!"

"If you say so" scoffed Maria, as she merely rolled her eyes at him.

"Judge the old me all you want..." said Grant, as he slowly approached where she stood. "...but don't you dare judge the man that I am now because you don't know that man, so therefore you can't judge me."

"You can't tell me what to do so don't you dare even try, Ward, or you might just regret it..." said Maria, her tone of voice slightly threatening, as she then turned and grabbed the bottle of milk she'd been heating up for James and left the kitchenette abruptly with her son in her arms.

"That didn't go well at all..." sighed Grant, as he glanced down at Philip in his arms who was staring up at him inquisitively. "Do you think that went well, lil' man? Do you, huh? What do you think, hmm? Well, what'cha think, lil' man?"

Philip merely scrunched up his little nose, as he smiled and giggled at his father now pulling faces at him while putting on a cutesy baby voice for his benefit.

"Well, at least you still like me..." said Grant, smiling, as he dipped his head to place a soft little kiss atop his sons' scrunched up nose.

"He doesn't just like you..." said Skye, as she stepped into the kitchenette and came to a stop beside her husband and baby son. "...he loves and adores you."

"How much of my conversation with Hill did you hear?" asked Grant, as he dipped his head towards Skye when she leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss him, kissing her back more than happily.

"All of it" answered Skye a little meekly. "I was eavesdropping. I would've intervened but I think you were handling it pretty well yourself and let's face it I would've totally slapped her given the chance."

"I don't think I handled that well at all" sighed Grant. "I think it went really badly actually."

"Who cares how it went?" sighed Skye. "It's not your job to please her, Grant. After my parents' wedding we'll probably never see her again. I know you care what she thinks of you but try not to let it get to you too much, okay? Because at the end of the day the only opinions that matter are mine, our children's, my parents', FitzSimmons and Tripp. And you know that we all adore you."

"I can't help but worry, Skye" said Grant, swallowing thickly. "Because it's not just about what Hill thinks of me but what others will think of me too. I imagine Romanoff has got a few choice words to say to me when I see her and no doubt Fury as well."

"I promise I won't leave your side no matter what happens" said Skye, leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss him softly again. "I love you and I'll always have your back. Besides, Steve doesn't hate you and I'm choosing to take that as a positive sign that the rest of The Avengers won't hate you either."

"I hope you're right" said Grant, smiling at her. "I really hope you're right because I don't want our children to be subjected to so much negativity. Jemma and Leo might ask why and I don't want them to ever know about my past."

"They never will and we'll always make sure of that" said Skye, smiling reassuringly up at him. "They'll never know about either of our pasts, neither will Philip or any other children that we might have in the future. They'll never know about S.H.I.E.L.D. or HYDRA. Once we've been to the wedding we'll return home to our house in the countryside and resume our peaceful lives again where my parents, FitzSimmons and Tripp will be the only ones that come out to visit us. I promise you, okay?"

"Okay" smiled Grant, kissing her once more. "I do love our peaceful life."

"So do I" smiled Skye. "I wouldn't change it for the world."

"Neither would I" said Grant, glancing down at Philip in his arms who had now started to thrash his little legs about in frustration. "Alright, alright, we're done talking! Our attention is now solely on you once more!"

* * *

A little while later saw Grant and Skye happily relaxing on the sofa together in the lounge, while Jemma and Leo sat quite happily on the floor not far from them building a Lego castle together with the box of Lego's that Coulson had given them not too long ago, before he'd then promptly whisked a half asleep Philip out of Skye's arms and took off with him, leaving Skye and Grant to simply roll their eyes at him once again absconding with their baby son.

"Hey there. We're not disturbing you are we?" came Steve's voice, making Skye and Grant look up from where they sat on the sofa to glance over at him. Peeking out from behind him on his left side was James and standing on his right side smiling shyly at them was Maggie. "I figured our kids might all like to get to know each other a little better if that's okay with you guys? We've got a long night ahead of us so we all might as well bond, right?"

"That's fine with me" said Skye, practically beaming. "Jemma and Leo would love to play with Maggie and James!"

"I'm cool with that too" nodded Grant, also smiling. "But are you sure that Maria won't mind our children hanging out with each other?"

"Maria is down in the gym sparring with Melinda so for now she's preoccupied" said Steve, smirking a little. "If she has a problem with it then I'll talk to her about it later. Maria may have her issues with you but she's not the type of mother that would deny our children the chance to make some new friends."

"Let's hope you're right" said Grant, chuckling softly.

"Hey, Jemma, Leo?" called out Skye towards her children, smiling at them softly when they turned their heads to face her. "Is it okay with you both if Maggie and James join you in building your Lego castle?"

"Sure!" beamed Jemma, nodding her head, as she shuffled over a little bit and patted the empty space where she'd been sitting to glance up at Maggie. "You can sit next to me as there's plenty of room!"

"Go on, it's okay" said Steve softly, nodding at Maggie when she glanced up at him for permission and then smiling when she wandered over to Jemma to sit down next to her. Taking James by his hand he then lightly tugged and managed to prise him away from where he was latched on to the back of his legs so he could walk him over to where Leo was sitting. "Is it okay with you if James joins you, Leo?"

"Yesa!" said Leo, nodding and glancing up at him. "As long as he keeps away from da blue Lego's be'cuz I'm using them."

"Leo, play nice..." said Grant softly, yet sternly, as he furrowed his brows at his young son. "...you were taught how to share after all."

Steve just lightly chuckled while glancing between Leo and Grant. "Don't worry too much about it because James' favourite colour is orange so I'm sure he'll go for those ones more than the blue ones."

"Here you go, James!" exclaimed Leo, as he handed him some blocks of Lego that were orange. "There's plenty of owange ones!"

"I like the purple ones the best!" smiled Jemma, as she sorted some more purple pieces into a little pile beside her. "What about you, Maggie?"

"I like pink" replied Maggie with a small smile, as she leaned over to scoop up a bunch of pink pieces. "Pink is pretty!"

"Maggie is a very girly girl" chuckled Steve softly, as he stood to his feet and walked over towards the sofa, flopping down beside Skye who he didn't fail to notice tried her best to discreetly bite down on her bottom lip and suppress a squeal at him doing so. "She'd paint the whole world pink if she could."

"She sounds adorable" smiled Skye, as she glanced from Steve to where Maggie was now playing quite happily with Jemma, while James and Leo were also now playing quite happily together. "I think it's nice that our children can at least get along."

"Maria will come around eventually, or she'll at least pretend she has for the sake of Phil and Melinda if anything" said Steve, sighing a little. "I'll do my best in getting her to be at least civil towards the two of you."

"I don't think she really has a problem with Skye" said Grant, also sighing. "It's mainly just me that she has a problem with. I'm surprised you don't hate me as well if I'm completely honest with you."

"I don't believe in hating people because all it does is make you bitter and resentful" said Steve, glancing over at him. "You did many questionable things many years ago, but you aren't the only one that did. We've all got our stories that we aren't particularly proud of and as Natasha will say we've all got ledgers gushing red somehow or another. In the end you made the right call and chose to be good when it really mattered most. You've redeemed yourself the best that you can over the years and with the way Phil, Melinda, Jemma, Leo and Tripp have all took it in turns to speak highly of you to everyone that matters then we're all willing to give you a second chance as well if they all are."

"Thank you, Steve" said Grant, wide eyed, yet grateful for everything that he'd said. "I've gotta say all of that coming from you really means a lot."

"At the end of the day it all comes down to the fact that I didn't know you in your past and because of that I feel like I don't have the right to judge you" said Steve honestly. "The guy I'm hoping to get to know now is the guy you've since become and that guy if I feel like I ever have to is the guy I'll judge from now on."

"I promise I'll do my best to never make you judge me for anything" said Grant, chuckling softly.

"Don't sweat it" said Steve, also chuckling. "We're cool."

"What about the other Avengers?" asked Skye, smiling at Steve, as she too was grateful for everything that he'd said to Grant since she knew by the relieved look across his face right now that it had helped to put his mind at ease knowing that Steve didn't seem to hate him like Maria did. "Will they be just as friendly and welcoming as you?"

"I think they will be" said Steve, furrowing his brows in thought. "Tony doesn't really care so much about things that happened so long ago in the past and neither does Bruce really. I think Natasha and Clint will be okay with most things since they've mellowed out a lot over the years. And then when it comes to Thor he's always chose not to get too involved with everything that happened in the past and preferred only to be called on when he was really needed to help out, because other than that he just preferred to live a simple life with Jane back in London while journeying to Asgard every now and then."

"I can't wait to meet them all!" squealed Skye in excitement, as she clapped her hands together gleefully. "It's going to be the fifth best day of my life so far!"

"Why specifically the fifth?" asked Steve curiously.

"The best day of my life was marrying Grant" said Skye, as she smiled at Grant. "The second was Jemma being born, the third was Leo being born and the fourth was Philip being born."

"I have to agree with you on all of them" smiled Grant, as he leaned over and kissed her tenderly.

"Mummy!" yelled Leo, as he jumped to his feet and suddenly ran over towards Skye. "Mummy!"

"What's wrong, Leo?" asked Skye, as she extended out her arms towards her young son who immediately jumped into them and settled on her lap.

"I need to tinkle" whispered Leo into his mother's ear.

"Ah, I see" giggled Skye, as she slowly rose to her feet with Leo in her arms. "C'mon, then."

"Dun touch da blue blocks while I'm gone, James!" called out Leo to James as he left the lounge with his mother.

"You can touch them if you want to, James" said Grant, as he flashed James a cheeky wink. "I'll take the heat for you."

James just laughed at him before resuming playing with the orange blocks in front of him.

"So I've gotta ask you about everything that you said before..." said Grant tentatively, as he turned to face Steve. "...did you mean it or was it all mainly for Skye's benefit?"

"I honestly meant every word that I said" said Steve truthfully. "I'm not going to judge you for things that happened in the past and especially since I never knew you back then. It wouldn't be right. I don't believe it's fair to judge a person and condemn them without really knowing them to do so. So because of that I won't when it comes to you. I mean it, Grant, truly I do."

"Thank you, Steve" said Grant, smiling widely. "That's a huge relief off of my shoulders."

"Everything'll be okay" said Steve, as he lightly patted Grant on his back as reassuringly as he could. "You'll see that everyone is a lot more mellowed out these days and especially about things that happened years ago in the past. We've all got children now and that's what we all focus on these days because our families will always come first from now on."

"Do all of The Avengers have children?" asked Grant, quirking his brows. "I'll honestly admit that if they do me and Skye don't know because over the years we haven't really kept up with a lot of things like that. We just kept to ourselves, stayed hidden and tried to protect our family as much as we could."

"Family is important and rightfully so that's what you focused on the most. As for the others, well, I guess you'll just have to wait and see who else has children and how many..." said Steve, smiling a little cryptically at Grant as he did so.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

"Dammit, Melinda!" groaned Maria, as she found herself landing flat on her back on the training mats for about the tenth time since she'd started sparring with Melinda a little over an hour ago. "Will I ever manage to get the better of you?!"

"There's no one in the world that can get the better of me" laughed May, as she extended her hand out towards Maria and helped her jump to her feet. "And for as long as you aren't properly focused then you'll never even come close. You used to be better at sparring than this, Maria."

"Yeah, yeah, I know" sighed Maria, as she walked over to the bench in the far corner where her water bottle resided. "I'm a little rusty these days."

"Why is that?" asked May, as she followed her and picked up her own water bottle, unscrewing the cap and taking a sip.

"My time these days is spent running around after a 5 year old and a 2 year old" laughed Maria. "Running around constantly after Maggie and James is more than enough exercise for me."

"Becoming a mother has made you go soft" scoffed May. "Just like it did all of you."

"What do you mean all of us?" asked Maria, frowning.

"You, Skye, Natasha, Pepper, Jane and even Darcy..." replied May with a shake of her head. "...you all went soft on me."

"Motherhood has a habit of doing that to you" laughed Maria.

"I wouldn't know" said May, flashing her a smile, as she placed her water bottle back down and walked back over towards the training mats. "Are you ready to go again?"

"I'm sorry, Melinda, I didn't mean-"

"There's nothing to be sorry for" said May, cutting her off. "I don't regret any of the decisions that I've made over the years. I'm happy as I am these days and I've more than enough children around me in yours, Skye's and everyone else's. Plus, the best thing about none of them being mine is when they start to annoy me I can happily return them to you all at the end of the day."

Maria just snorted at that with a shake of her head, as she resumed her position on the training mats once more. "Can I ask you a question?"

"If you make it quick because I'm looking forward to kicking your ass again" smirked May.

"Do you think I'm being too hard on Ward?" asked Maria, merely rolling her eyes at May's comment. "Steve thinks that I am and need to ease up a little. But I've just never liked Ward. I don't think I ever will."

"You don't have to like him to be civil towards him" said May. "If anything just pretend for Skye and the children's sakes."

"Is that what you do around him?" asked Maria. "I mean you don't genuinely like him, right? It's all just an act with you as well, isn't it?"

"No, it's not an act" replied May, shaking her head. "I do care for him. He's basically my son-in-law since I view Skye as like a daughter to me and always have."

"None of that really means you have to like him though" said Maria, brows furrowing. "I honestly just don't think he deserves this chance that everyone is giving him. Or the chance that Skye gave him 5 years ago."

"You don't know him like I do, Maria, or like Skye and the others do" said May, her tone of voice now slightly defensive. "You don't know the type of man that he's become over the years thanks to being with Skye and creating a family with her. You haven't seen how he is around her or his children like I have. He's a great husband to Skye and an amazing father to Jemma, Leo and Philip and he always has been. He's surprised me a lot over the years. And I would never have believed it if I hadn't of seen it with my own eyes."

"What do you mean?" asked Maria, frowning. "How can you possibly know what type of a husband and father he's been over the years when he's only been back in your life along with Skye and the kids for the past couple of months?"

"Because I just do..." replied May, as she kept her facial features calm and expressionless, before then lunging straight for Maria to begin sparring with her again before she could start asking her more questions as to what she'd really meant.


	21. Kids On The Bus (3)

**Author's Note: I'm still in the process of writing out _The Missing Years _prequel, which I'm planning on posting once I've written at least the first 30 chapters for, and hopefully I should finish doing that shortly so in the meantime I hope you continue to enjoy this fic and all is to come while waiting for the prequel. ^-^**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own ****_Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Marvel's The Avengers_** **or any of the characters, as that would be ****_Marvel_**_**, **_**because if I owned the ****show, movies**** and the characters then multiple universes would exist where everything I write for it would be canon within it's own universe. However, I do own my OC's of Jemma Ward, Leo Ward, Phillip "Phil" Ward, Margaret "Maggie" Rogers and James Rogers.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 21: Kids On The Bus (lll)**

* * *

"What the hell..." said Maria under her breath upon walking into the lounge aboard The Bus and seeing her husband quite happily sitting on the floor with their children building Castles out of Lego.

But they weren't alone, because Grant, Skye and their children were also sitting and building Lego Castle's with them too.

"Steve? What's going on in here?" asked Maria, furrowing her brows at him.

"Oh hey, love!" said Steve, flashing his wife a smile as he glanced up and looked at her. "We're all bonding. Why don't you sit down and join us?"

"Mama! Mama! Mama!" exclaimed James upon seeing his mother and making him clap his hands together excitedly when she walked over to him. "Up! Up! Up!"

Maria couldn't help but smile at her young son clapping his hands and demanding to be lifted up into her arms. "You want cuddles from Mama, hmm?" said Maria, smiling even more, as she leaned down and scooped James up off of Steve's lap and into her arms.

"Yes! Mama cuddles!" exclaimed James, as he happily wrapped his arms around his mother's neck as tightly as he could.

"Will you sit down and play with us, Mommy?" asked Maggie from her seat on the floor next to her father and Jemma. "You can help me and Jemma build our Castle like Mrs. Ward is."

"I've told you to simply call me Skye" laughed Skye softly at little Maggie. "I really don't mind."

"I know. But it's more polite and courteous to call you Mrs. Ward until I know you well enough to be on a first name basis more" said Maggie rather matter-of-factly.

"You can blame me for her being that way" chuckled Steve, as he smiled proudly at his young daughter. "I've brought her up to be very well mannered and to always respect those around her, James too, or at least I'm still teaching him."

"Grant and I have been doing the same thing with Jemma and Leo" smiled Skye. "They still have their not so well behaved moments from time to time. But they're only 5 and 3, so we generally let them off."

"How long have you all been in here now?" asked Maria, cutting into Steve and Skye's conversation.

"I'd guess an hour or so" answered Steve with a casual shrug of his shoulders. "We joined them when you went to spar with Melinda down in the gym."

"So you deliberately waited until I was out of the way and couldn't object?" asked Maria, glaring at her husband.

"Here we go..." muttered Skye under her breath that she made sure was only loud enough for Grant to overhear, which simply made him chuckle before he refocussed his attention back onto Leo's fantastical story of who currently lived in his all blue Lego Castle.

"Don't start with this again, Maria" sighed Steve tiredly, rising to his feet and facing her. "There's no need to make such a big deal out of this."

"I told you I didn't want our children anywhere near Ward" said Maria, still glaring at him. "You obviously didn't listen to me."

"Maggie and James wanted to play with Jemma and Leo" said Steve, as he folded his arms across his chest indignantly. "I wasn't going to deny them the right to make two new friends."

"They have enough friends already" said Maria, her tone of voice slightly cold. "Friends that they'll be seeing again really soon once we arrive at Avengers Tower."

"And friends which Jemma and Leo will also be meeting and getting to know too" said Steve. "Because unlike you the others don't have a problem with Grant and Skye so they'll happily let their children play with theirs."

"You're as delusional as Ward is if you think for even one second that Natasha will let him or his family anywhere near her and Clint's daughter" scoffed Maria.

"What's your problem with my Daddy, lady?!" yelled Jemma suddenly, startling everyone in the lounge, as she jumped to her feet and scowled up at Maria. "I don't like your attitude! You're_ MEAN!"_

"Jemma, sweetie, calm down, it's okay" said Grant, handing Leo over to Skye so he could rise to his feet and walk over towards his daughter.

"No it's not! She keeps on being mean to you!" yelled Jemma, pushing her father away from her and continuing to stand her ground in front of Maria. "I've heard you say mean things about my Daddy behind his back to my Grandma Melinda! It's not nice to talk behind someone's back you know?!"

"I, um, I don't know what..." stammered Maria. _Am I seriously getting scolded by a 5 year old little girl right now? _"...I'm sorry?"

"Not good enough!" snapped Jemma, her hands now clenched up into tiny balls at her sides in anger. "It's my Daddy you need to say sorry to not me! You said a lot of mean things about him!"

"Jemma, sweetie, just calm down, okay?" said Grant soothingly, as he finally managed to tug her away from Maria and into his arms for a hug. "Shh, sweetie, shh. Daddy can fight his own battles."

"What did she overhear you say?" asked Skye, slipping Leo off her lap and walking over to where Maria still stood beside Steve. "I want to know what you said about my husband that made my daughter so upset."

"She called Daddy the A word, the bad one that's a swear and I'm not allowed to say" said Jemma, answering for Maria before she got the chance. "She kept on calling him it until it made Grandma Melinda angry and she told her to _'put a sock in it' _whatever that means."

"It basically means stop whining" said Grant, chuckling softly, as he cuddled his daughter close to his chest.

"You are truly despicable saying things like that where my 5 year old daughter can overhear you about her father who she absolutely adores" said Skye, as she locked her eyes with Maria. "Can't you just let go of the past already like everyone else has? If I can forgive Grant, fall in love with him all over again, marry him and give him three children despite our pasts and histories then so can you. Well, minus the whole love, marriage and children thing because try and attempt any of that with him and you'll be living at the very bottom of the ocean."

"So I'm thinking that we should all take a time out, yeah?" suggested Steve, as he took James from his wife's arms and then beckoned for Maggie to come to him from where she'd been sitting on the floor quietly the whole time. "I'm going to take the kids to see what Agent Simmons and Agent Fitz are doing down in the lab. They always enjoy seeing what wacky things they're working on."

"I'll join you" said Maria, flashing her husband a small smile and taking a hold of her daughter's hand in her own. "It's probably for the best that none of us continue this conversation."

"The only reason you're walking away is because you don't want to admit out loud that you got called out on your problematic attitude and behaviour by my 5 year old daughter" scoffed Skye, feeling ever so proud of her daughter right now.

"I promise you that I'll keep my opinions to myself from now on so she's not subjected to overhearing them anymore" said Maria, as she turned back to face Skye. "But as for what you said about the past, choosing to forgive Ward, marrying him and starting a family with him, well, that's what you chose to do, but not what I did and I don't have to accept anything that I don't want to. It's not up to you, Steve, Melinda, Ward or even your 5 year old daughter if I let go of the past or not. It's only up to me."

And with that Maria turned away from Skye and left the lounge, tugging Maggie along behind her.

"I'm really sorry for all of that. I'll talk to her again about trying to let go of the past. I promise you both that I will" said Steve, flashing both Skye and Grant faint smiles as he left the lounge with James in his arms to follow after his wife.

"Well this little play date was always going to end badly" sighed Grant heavily, as he then turned to Jemma and placed a big, sloppy kiss on her right cheek. "Thank you for defending me. You're the most perfect daughter ever!"

"You're welcome, Daddy" smiled Jemma, hugging her father tightly. "I love you."

"I love you too, Jemma" smiled Grant, hugging her back.

"I don't like Mrs. Rogwers, Rodwers, Rodgers..." said Leo, scrunching his little nose up in concentration as he tried his best to get the surname right before just giving up entirely. "...I don't like her!"

"You aren't the only one, sweetie" laughed Skye, as she leaned down and scooped her young son up into her arms, nuzzling her nose against his as she did so.

"Let's all just forget about Maria for now" said Grant, walking over towards his wife and son, his daughter in his arms. "Let's just go back to building our Lego Castle's together."

"Yesa!" said Leo, clapping his hands together. "I like the Lego's!"

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Skye, her voice full of concern, as she smiled lovingly up at her husband and reached her right hand out to tenderly stroke his cheek with her thumb.

"I'm fine, Skye" said Grant, smiling lovingly back and leaning into her tender touch. "I'm always alright whenever I'm with you and our children. You're all I need in this world."

"You'll always have us in your life no matter what" smiled Skye, as she leaned up onto her tiptoes to kiss him, smiling even more when he leaned down and met her halfway.

They soon found themselves pulling apart though when Jemma and Leo both expressed their disgust at their parents kissing in front of them with loud exclaims of _'Ewww!'_

* * *

_Later that night…_

"Do you guys mind if I come in for a few minutes?" asked May, as she poked her head around the slightly open door to Skye and Grant's bunk.

"We don't mind at all" smiled Skye, as she rolled onto her back and out of Grant's arms that she'd been quite contently wrapped up in while they both took a rare few minutes of undisturbed peace and quiet to just cuddle each other.

"I thought you both might finally like having this little guy back" said May, as she stepped into their bunk holding Phillip in her arms and made sure to close the door tightly shut behind her. "I finally got your father to surrender him so you could put him down to sleep since it's pretty late now and he's getting sleepy."

"Thanks, Mom. I was going to go and get him myself in a few more minutes" said Skye, smiling at her mother and baby son. "Jemma and Leo are both already fast asleep in the bunk next to ours."

"Hey there, lil' man" smiled Grant, happily taking his baby son from May's arms and sitting him atop his chest while he lay back against the pillows, being careful to support Phillip's back so he didn't suddenly topple backwards. "Did you miss Daddy? Hmm? Because Daddy has definitely missed you all day!"

"And Mummy has missed you too!" cooed Skye softly, as she leaned over and kissed her son tenderly on his right cheek, smiling at the cute little giggle he released upon her doing so. "We've gotta stop your Grandpa Phil from constantly stealing you away from Mummy and Daddy all of the time!"

"Good luck with that" laughed May, sitting down on the end of their bed and smiling between them. "So how are you both doing tonight?"

"We're fine" answered Skye, sitting back up and facing her mother with a smile. "Is there a reason we shouldn't be?"

"I just know that you had a pretty tough time with Maria this afternoon" said May. "I know because she came whining to me about how your daughter is a confrontational little madam with zero manners."

"She said that about Jemma?" asked Skye, brow quirked. "Why am I not even surprised? She's just angry and bitter that a 5 year old managed to get to her and did a better job of calling her out on her attitude and behaviour than most adults seem to be able to do."

"And that's exactly what I said to her too before telling her never to get on the wrong side of my granddaughter ever again if she values her life" said May, smirking a little. "The look on her face was priceless."

"Thanks for that, Mom" smiled Skye. "I'm glad that we have you on our side."

"You know I've always got your backs" smiled May. "I always have and I always will."

"And we've always appreciated it" said Grant, flashing her a grateful smile. "We always will too."

"I think I have to start being more careful though" sighed May. "I've been a little too defensive of you today, Ward, especially where Maria has been concerned and she's starting to get a little suspicious."

"What do you mean?" asked Skye.

"Earlier this afternoon when we were sparring together I told her to lay off Ward because she doesn't know him like I do or the type of man that he's become over the years thanks mainly to being with you and starting a family. I told her that she's never seen how he's been around you all over the years like I have and how I would never have believed it if I hadn't of seen any of it with my own eyes" answered May, rubbing at her temple tiredly. "I just got so frustrated with her constantly judging him for the past and it made her ask me how I could possibly know all of what I told her after only having you all back in my life again after only a few months."

"How did you respond?" asked Grant curiously, a small frown spreading across his face.

"I simply replied with _'because I just do' _and then lunged at her to begin sparring again, taking her off guard and distracting her" replied May.

"You probably do need to be careful around Maria more than anyone else, since she's the most distrustful of Grant and still stuck in the past" said Skye, sighing. "And also because if my Dad, FitzSimmons or Tripp ever heard you say something like that then it'd make them all suspicious over what you really meant too."

"They can never know the truth" said Grant, as he sat up and carefully flipped Phillip around so he was sitting on his lap and leaning against his chest, quite happily suckling on his blue pacifier and quietly absorbing everything in that was going on around him. "They'd never understand why we kept the truth from them for all of these years."

"It would destroy them all if they ever found out" said Skye, swallowing thickly. "Especially my Dad. If he ever found out now it would completely destroy your relationship with him, Mom, and I really want to see you guys get married because it's been a long time in coming."

"Don't worry, Skye, because there's no way that your father or anyone else will ever find out that I've known where you and Ward have been for the last 5 years, give or take that is" said May reassuringly. "The three of us all agreed after Jemma was born that it was for the best no one but me knew where to always find you."

_"It's our little secret..."_ said Skye, smiling faintly, as she mimicked the words the three of them had repeated to each other on the day of Jemma's birth. "...it was the only way for us to live a normal life and raise our children far away from S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA and everything else in between."

"Until you decided to let Coulson finally find us again without telling me" said Grant, sighing.

"That surprised even me at the time" said May, furrowing her brows at Skye. "When Phil gathered the team up and brought us all out to the countryside to see you it took everything that I had to keep my cool, act like I had no clue you'd lived there for years or that I'd always known, and especially since I'd been the one that found you that house to live in."

"I know and I'm really sorry for putting you on the spot like that with no warning" said Skye apologetically. "But you know why I did it now. I just had to see my Dad and the team again, as fleeting as I knew it would be. All I wanted was for them all to see me, that I was happy with Grant and most of all still safe with him after all of these years."

"I know" said May, reaching out her hand and tenderly stroking Skye's right cheek with her thumb. "It's okay, Skye. I knew it would get the better of you one day."

"I knew once everyone saw me they'd all be happy that I was too and would finally stop worrying that me and Grant didn't make it and that I'd maybe ended up alone, too ashamed to return because we didn't work out or something" said Skye, sighing. "I never expected that you'd all come back after Phillip was born."

"Phil couldn't stay away once he knew where you were. He tried for as long as he could, but after a while it just got to be too much and he wanted you back in his life however he could get you, that and he really wanted to be a part of his grandchildren's lives" said May, smiling between them. "But you know that already from what I've already told you."

"Y'know we should probably be careful talking about all of this out loud" said Grant, shifting Phillip in his arms and lying him down gently on his lap since he was now slowly drifting off to sleep. "You never know whose listening."

"Phil had all of the bunks soundproofed over 3 years ago now" said May. "So we're safe to talk about whatever we want in here. No one can hear us."

"That's a relief" said Grant, dipping his head and placing a soft, light kiss atop Phillip's head without waking him up. "Because with everything else going on around us right now the last thing any of us need is this secret coming out."

"Just relax, Ward. No one can hear us on the outside and I shut the door behind me" said May, as she smiled at Grant cradling her now fast asleep grandson in his arms. "And I highly doubt that little guy is going to tell anyone since he's only 7 months old and can't even talk yet."

"We still have to be careful and keep covering our tracks though" said Grant, glancing between them.

"We've already done that" said Skye. "Me and my Mom actually went as far as to have a slightly faked conversation about the past on the day everyone came back into our lives."

"What does that even mean?" asked Grant curiously.

"That we maybe, kinda orchestrated a slightly faked and half planned talk about the past and what it had been like for me to be married to you and the mother of your children when we were sitting on the front porch steps of our house" replied Skye a little meekly. "We were right underneath Jemma's open bedroom window where she was currently showing Simmons her bedroom and guinea pigs."

"And we left the front door open where our voices could easily travel inside to the living room where Phil and Fitz were bonding with Phillip and Leo" said May, the corner of her mouth curving slightly upwards into a semi triumphant smile. "So if anyone was eavesdropping on us they wouldn't suspect a thing."

"And all while I was keeping Tripp occupied in the kitchen helping me to cook dinner for everyone" said Grant, shaking his head at them both. "Though I was actually having a sincere conversation with him throughout."

"Don't forget there was also the pretty good acting between me and you pretending to still hate each other after being reunited many years later" said May, matching Grant's smile and then laughing at the slightly cheeky wink he flashed her. "Because the three of us are the only ones that know we put our issues and the past firmly behind us both a long time ago."

"I have to be honest right now and say that talking about all of this so casually like we are and how we've all kept everything a secret for 5 years is making me feel so guilty and a really horrible person" said Skye sadly. "I want to come clean so badly to my Dad, FitzSimmons and Tripp. But I know I can't. Because it's too late now and they'd never understand why we lied to them for so many years."

"I understand how you're feeling" said May, taking Skye's hand closest to her and giving it a comforting squeeze. "It seemed like the right thing to do years ago but lately I'm no longer so sure it was either."

"I don't have any regrets" said Grant honestly. "It was the only way for me and Skye to live a normal life away from S.H.I.E.L.D. and our pasts with our newborn daughter, and then a couple of years later our sons, because that's all we ever wanted with each other and for 5 years we got it."

"We still have a normal life, Grant" said Skye, as she placed her hand atop his arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "We're only going to New York and Avengers Tower for my parents wedding and then we're going right back home to the countryside with our children."

"Myself, Phil, FitzSimmons and Tripp will be the only ones after the wedding is out of the way that continue to visit you" said May as reassuringly as she could. "I promise you. You'll all continue to live your normal lives and we'll all make sure of that. It's very rare that people like us ever get that kind of happiness and normalcy."

"I hope you're right" said Grant, frowning slightly. "Because the last thing I want is my children learning about S.H.I.E.L.D. and wanting to become future agents like me and Skye once were."

"I agree with you on that" said Skye, smiling at him. "It's the last thing I want for our children too."

"You don't need to worry about that because I've already told Phil I'll divorce him if he ever approves either of our grandchildren joining S.H.I.E.L.D. one day" said May, as she rose to her feet and headed for the door. "And that also applies to any children that FitzSimmons and Tripp have in the future too."

"I actually think FitzSimmons would probably love to have any children they have follow in their footsteps and join S.H.I.E.L.D. one day" said Skye. "So you might have your work cut out for you on that one."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see" said May, glancing back at them with a smile. "It's time I left you guys alone for the night so you can put Phillip to bed. As for everything else it'll all be okay in the end so try not to worry too much."

"That's a lot easier said than done" sighed Skye once her mother had left and closed the door after her.

"We made the right choice at the time, Skye" said Grant, rising to his feet carefully with Phillip in his arms, as he carried him over to the crib beside their bed and then gently lowered him into it without waking him. "I honestly have no regrets. We got to live normal lives and be a normal family with May only coming out to see us for our children's births and first birthday's, and only so they would never get too attached to her or remember her too much to expose the truth if everyone one day came back into our lives like they have now."

"It still doesn't make all of the lying we did any easier though, Grant" sighed Skye once more, as she stood to her feet and leaned over her sons' crib, kissing the tip of her finger and then ever so lightly placing it atop his little nose. "It might've been the right thing to do at the time but I've always felt guilty and no matter what I always will."

Grant simply remained silent and slipped his arms around Skye, tugging her back against his chest and resting his head lightly atop her shoulder.

Tilting her head to the side a little Skye smiled at her husband, kissing him softly on his cheek and then leaned back into his comforting and loving embrace.

They remained standing like that in each other's arms for a few minutes, quite content to just watch their baby son sleep peacefully without a care in the world before retiring to their bed, cuddling up to each other and allowing sleep to finally claim them both too.


	22. Kids On The Bus (4)

****Author's Note: I apologise for the delay with this chapter and for not updating this fic in a really long time. I promise that I haven't forgotten about it and there's still a lot more to come yet because this fic has a long way to go before it's even close to being over. :)  
****

****The reason I haven't been updating this fic or any of my others is because with the way S3 of the show has gone it's just really killed my writing muse for a long time despite the fact I tried really hard not to let it. I've really needed the break to get my head and heart back into writing and updating all of my fics again which I've finally managed to do by removing the show completely from my life and deciding never to watch again thanks to everything in the midseason finale making it a very easy decision to make. Anyhoo, with the show about to return I've also decided to return via continuing my fics again in my happier AU versions where Grant Ward is still very much alive and Skye is still called Skye because I will NEVER call her Daisy. *shrug* ****

****So without further ado here's a brand new chapter! ^-^ Please let me know what you think and so that I know******** there are still people out there that wish to continue reading. :)  
****

****DISCLAIMER: I don't own ****_Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. _****or any of the characters, as that would be ****_Marvel_**_, _**because if I owned the ****show, movies**** and the characters then multiple universes would exist where everything I write for it would be canon within it's own universe. However, I do own my OC's of Jemma Ward, Leo Ward and Phillip "Phil" Ward.  
****

* * *

**Chapter 22: Kids On The Bus (4)**

* * *

"Someone's waking up I see" whispered Grant as quietly as he could later that night so as not to wake up Skye sleeping beside him. Lifting her right hand up that she had casually draped across his chest he quickly and quietly slipped out of their bed and made his way over towards Phillip's crib. "Shh, Phillip, shh. Let's not wake up Mommy, okay?"

As soon as he was securely nestled in his father's arms Phillip's cries started to slowly die down, his little fist soon making it's way into his mouth to suckle on.

Grant just lightly chuckled as he stared down at his son. Reaching down towards his crib he picked up his pacifier and attempted to encourage Phillip to stop suckling on his fist and replace it with his pacifier instead.

Phillip merely thrashed his legs about in protest and quite stubbornly continued suckling on his fist.

Shaking his head at him Grant dipped his head and placed a soft, tender kiss atop his head before then gently lowering him back into his crib.

Phillip, however, had other ideas because he didn't want to be placed back into his crib just yet, he wanted to be cuddled a little while longer, so he immediately started crying again instead.

"Okay, okay, shh, there's a good boy" whispered Grant soothingly, as he cuddled his son against his chest once more. "How about we go for a little walk, yeah? Mommy is really tired so let's just let her sleep tonight."

Upon hearing his father's soothing voice and finding himself back in his arms Phillip more than happily started suckling his fist again and released a little contented squeal.

"Let's take a little stroll around The Bus and see if it's how Daddy remembers it to be" whispered Grant, as he quietly slipped out their bunk with Phillip and being ever so careful so as not to wake up Skye while doing so.

* * *

_A little later…_

"Don't tell me you suffer from insomnia too?" asked Simmons, as she walked into the lounge and came across Grant sitting on one of the cream coloured sofas.

"Hey, Simmons" said Grant, looking up and flashing her a smile before indicating towards Phillip in his arms who was still very much awake. "I'm awake because of this little guy. I didn't want to wake Skye while trying to get him back to sleep so here I am."

"Would you like some help with him?" asked Simmons, as she flopped down onto the sofa beside him. "I don't mind helping and I wouldn't say no to a little cuddle from my nephew either."

"I don't mind at all" smiled Grant, as he gently handed Phillip over to Simmons' outstretched arms. "Come morning I'm sure Coulson will probably insist on cuddling him more than anyone."

"Precisely why I'm taking my cuddle while I can get it" said Simmons, as she smiled down at her nephew in her arms. "You're so adorable! Oh yes you are!"

"Y'know I'm surprised that you and Fitz don't have any children of your own by now" said Grant, as he watched Simmons continue to coo over his son. "I sometimes just can't believe that me and Skye are the only ones on our team to have had children over the last 5 years."

"It's been a lot easier for you and Skye over the years to start a family together than it has been for me and Leo" said Simmons, glancing over at him. "You haven't been agents for over 5 years and your children haven't grown up surrounded by S.H.I.E.L.D. Leo and I would love children of our own one day but not while we're still S.H.I.E.L.D. agents."

"Do you think you'll both one day leave S.H.I.E.L.D. behind to start a family of your own?" asked Grant.

"I don't know" sighed Simmons. "We're happy as we are right now. We're not ready to walk away just yet. But who knows what the future holds, right?"

"Well, for what it's worth I think you'll be an amazing mother and Fitz will be an amazing father" said Grant, smiling.

"Thank you, Ward" smiled Simmons, as she glanced back down at a gurgling Phillip in her arms. "Here's hoping we'll have a baby as cute and as adorable as Phillip one day."

"I'm sure you will" smiled Grant. "So are you looking forward to Coulson and May finally getting married? I know Skye definitely is because she's always wanted them to end up together."

"Oh yes! It's pretty exciting after all of these years" smiled Simmons. "They've always been perfect for each other, though I'm still surprised it's actually happening too because May doesn't really believe in marriage. I think she's mostly just finally giving in to make Coulson happy."

"I think she probably wants to marry him deep down too" said Grant. "May isn't the type of woman I can really see doing something purely to make a man happy, even if it is Coulson."

"That's very true" laughed Simmons. "Well, it's going to be a fun few days since the wedding is at Avengers Tower and all of them will be there."

"Exciting for you guys maybe, but not so much me and Skye" said Grant, sighing heavily. "Or me at least since I think everyone will love Skye."

"Try not to worry so much, okay? You'll be fine. I promise you will. The Avengers never knew you in the past so therefore they can't judge you for anything that they weren't a part of" said Simmons, flashing him a reassuring smile. "They're going to be getting to know you as you are now and that's a loving husband to Skye and a loving father to your three children. They all have children of their own now too so they'll be focusing on them and the wedding more than they will anything else."

"I hope you're right" sighed Grant. "I just want the next few days to go smoothly for everyone, especially Coulson and May since they're the ones getting married."

"We'll all make sure things go smoothly for them" smiled Simmons. "Because that's what families do for each other."

"It's nice to be a part of the family again" said Grant, smiling back. "We never thought we would be."

"It's good to finally have you both back and especially with the three new little additions you brought with you who we all love dearly" said Simmons, as she continued to smile and dipped her head to kiss Phillip's tiny little nose ever so tenderly. "The past is the past and the future is what's important now."

"I couldn't agree more" said Grant, nodding in agreement. "Thank you, Simmons, for accepting me back like you have and especially after what I did to you and Fitz."

"You know we forgave you a long time ago for the whole med pod and sending us to the bottom of the ocean thing" said Simmons, looking up at him once more. "The three of us have already had this conversation. We don't need to keep on repeating it. Everything is forgiven and it's all firmly in our pasts now."

"I know we have and it was a tough conversation to get through for all of us when we finally sat down to be honest with each other about things from the past" said Grant, furrowing his brows. "It's just hard to let go of the past sometimes, especially when it's one of your biggest regrets that you would do anything to take back."

"You can't change the past, Ward, no matter how much you wished you could" said Simmons, as she reached out her left hand towards him and took a hold of his own, squeezing it comfortingly as she did so. "There's no hard feelings, not anymore, and there never will be again. You're a good man, Ward, so just continue being a good man, husband and father and everything will continue to be okay."

"You're a good friend, Simmons, you always were" smiled Grant, as he squeezed her hand back. "Thank you for being my friend again. It really means a lot that both you and Fitz are once more."

"You're welcome you big ole' softie!" laughed Simmons. "I swear Skye has made you really soft over the years."

"I've come to find over the years that when you have children you can't help but become a little soft" chuckled Grant. "But I can still be tough when I need to be."

"There's nothing wrong with being soft from time to time" smiled Simmons. "You're a great father and your children love you."

"I think so too" smiled Grant. "But then I'm biased so of course I do."

Simmons just laughed while glancing down at a now contently sleeping Phillip in her arms. "I think we've bored him to sleep."

"It's entirely possible" chuckled Grant. "I should probably get him back to his crib. Hopefully he'll sleep through the rest of the night now."

"Good luck with that" said Simmons, smiling as she placed a tender kiss atop Phillip's forehead before handing him back over to Grant. "If he wakes up again just come and find me down in the lab since that's where I'm off to potter around in. My insomnia won't let me sleep for a few more hours yet."

"I appreciate the help and the company" smiled Grant gratefully, nodding at her. "I'll keep it in mind if he wakes up again so he doesn't wake Skye up too, not that she'd mind or anything, but I'd rather let her sleep because she's been really tired a lot this last week."

"I'm sure it's just due to all of the excitement over the upcoming wedding and finally seeing her parents, since that's what Coulson and May will always be to Skye, finally get married after all of these years" said Simmons, smiling softly.

"I'm sure you're right" said Grant, as he slowly rose to his feet, being careful not to jostle Phillip about in his arms too much and suddenly wake him. "That and she's always running around after our kids back at home because we've definitely got ourselves a feisty bunch."

"I'd say they take after their parents, especially Skye" said Simmons, flashing him one last smile as she leaned up and kissed him on his right cheek before he could protest at her doing so. "Don't worry anymore about tomorrow. Goodnight, Ward, sweet dreams."

"Goodnight, Simmons" said Grant, as he watched her depart the lounge. "You too whenever your insomnia let's you sleep."

Glancing down at his son sleeping in his arms Grant just smiled contently as he then turned and left the lounge to return back to his wife.

* * *

Quietly slipping back into his and Skye's bunk Grant couldn't have suppressed the wide smile that spread across his face at the adorable sight that greeted him even if he'd tried to.

"It appears your big sister and brother also woke up tonight and decided to slip into bed with your Mommy while we were hanging out with your Auntie Jemma" chuckled Grant as quietly as he could to Phillip so he remained asleep, glancing down at him and then back up again to his two eldest children all cuddled up to Skye in their bed.

Striding over to the crib near the bed Grant gently lowered Phillip into it after kissing his slightly scrunched up nose and made sure he was tucked in securely so he wouldn't get cold during the night. Turning to face his bed without waking his wife and children he then more than happily slipped in beside them and cuddled up to them, soon drifting off to sleep himself with past worries about what tomorrow may or may not bring him now buried at the very back of his mind.


	23. Kids On The Bus (5)

****Author's Note: Thank you SO much to everyone who reviewed my last chapter to which I still owe some replies and will get to ASAP! ^-^ Also, thank you SO much to all of the guests that left reviews too! ^.^ It meant so much to me to read all of the reviews I got, the positive reaction of me continuing this fic on and everyone being so understanding of my reasons for taking a break for as long as I did. :) So without further ado here's another new chapter which marks the end of the ones titled, _Kids On The Bus, _because after this one we'll be moving along to Avengers Tower so with that I really hope ya'll like The Avengers coming into the story along with a few more lil' OC's being introduced. ;)****

****DISCLAIMER: I don't own ****_Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel's The Avengers _****or any of the characters, as that would be ****_Marvel_**_, _**because if I owned the ****show, movies**** and the characters then multiple universes would exist where everything I write for it would be canon within it's own universe. However, I do own my OC's of Jemma Ward, Leo Ward and Phillip "Phil" Ward.****

* * *

**Chapter 23: Kids On The Bus (5)**

* * *

Stretching out in his bed the next morning Grant was soon aware of someone cuddled up to him. Blinking his eyes open he quickly settled them upon Leo, his head resting atop his chest and his little arms wrapped around his favourite teddy bear. Smiling down at his son he then dipped his head and placed a soft, tender kiss atop his forehead.

"You two look so cute all cuddled up together" said Skye across from him where she too was happily cuddled up to Jemma, her head resting lightly atop her own.

"I could say the same about you and our daughter" said Grant, smiling. "When exactly did they sneak in here?"

"Last night after you'd disappeared with Phillip" answered Skye. "They couldn't sleep so they crept into bed with me. I didn't mind though. I love cuddling our kids."

"So do I" said Grant, as he wrapped his arms more securely around Leo, smiling widely when he did the same to him and squished his teddy bear against his chest in the process.

"So where did you end up with Phillip last night?" asked Skye, stifling a yawn. "I wouldn't have minded if you'd woken me up too to help you tend to him."

"I decided to let you sleep since you've been pretty tired lately" said Grant, reaching out his hand towards her and interlocking his fingers with hers when she did the same. "I just wandered around The Bus for a few minutes and then sat in the lounge with him where I was eventually joined by Simmons."

"I'll bet she totally stole him off of you for lots of cuddles" laughed Skye softly.

"She did indeed" chuckled Grant. "But I didn't mind. It was nice talking to her as just the two of us. It reminded me of the good ole' days."

"Being back here again with everyone is giving me constant good ole' days type of feelings too" said Skye, sighing. "I forgot how much I missed living on The Bus."

"You're not the only one" said Grant, also sighing. "I forgot how much I missed being a part of the team and family."

"We've got our own family now" said Skye, smiling at him and then down at Jemma and Leo both still quite contently cuddled up to them and nestled within their arms. "The team will always be a part of our family too but it's our children that we have to always put first from now on."

"I definitely agree on that" said Grant, kissing Leo atop his head once more. "Once the wedding is over and done with we'll head back home to the countryside. The team will all still come out to visit us whenever they can so everything'll go back to normal again."

"I'm really looking forward to finally seeing my parents get married" smiled Skye at the thought. "And as much as I miss living on The Bus I'm really looking forward to going back home again too. This life hasn't been ours for such a long time now that it feels great being back but also really weird too."

"I know what you mean" said Grant, giving her hand in his a comforting squeeze. "You just have to remember that we're only back here temporarily, not permanently."

Before Skye could reply again she was stopped from doing so by her daughter slowly starting to stir and wake up in her arms. "Morning lil' miss sleepyhead."

"I hate mornings" grumbled Jemma tiredly against her mother's chest.

"Like mother, like daughter!" laughed Skye, as she gave her a hug and softly kissed the side of her head. "That's my girl!"

"Mommy, _quiet!"_ mumbled Leo against his father's chest. "I still sleeping."

"I'm sure Mommy is very sorry for waking you up but if she hadn't..." said Grant, trailing off to brush the hair out of Leo's face and smile down at him now looking up at him with only one eye open. "...then you might just have missed having pancakes for your breakfast because I'm almost positive I can smell them coming from the kitchen."

"Pancakes? _I want __pancakes!"_ exclaimed Leo excitedly, as he suddenly sat up, scrambled out of his father's arms and was off the bed like a rocket towards the door in seconds.

_"Whoa!_ Careful, Leo!" called out Grant, as he managed to spin around just in time to steady Phillip's crib next to him before it toppled over due to Leo hitting it on his eagerness to leave the room.

"Sowwy, Dada!" said Leo, jumping up and down in front of the door, trying his best to reach the panel and hit the button to open it. "But I want pancakes!"

"Me too" said Jemma, as she unwrapped herself from her mother's arms, slid down the bed until she'd hit the end and landed on the floor on her bottom._ "I'm okay!"_ she then exclaimed, lifting her arms up in the air and jumping to her feet.

"Good to know, Princess" chuckled Grant, shaking his head at her as he jumped up from his bed and walked over to her, reaching out his hand to ruffle her hair before then turning to open the door for her and Leo. "How about you take your little brother to the kitchen and see whose rustling up pancakes for breakfast, yeah? Mommy and I have to get Phillip up and then we'll be right behind you."

"Okay, Daddy! But don't take too long or we might just eat them all!" giggled Jemma, as she ran from the room with Leo following closely behind her.

"They're so boisterous and energetic in a morning" sighed Skye, rolling onto her back. "Once they've eaten pancakes for breakfast we can add high on syrup and chocolate too."

"It wouldn't be the first time they've been high on syrup and chocolate covered pancakes" chuckled Grant, as he walked over to Phillip's crib, only to find him still sound asleep. "I'd say we've got a few more minutes left before he's awake too."

"I'm gonna get dressed in the meantime" said Skye, sitting up and starting to shimmy off the bed. "He'll be hungry as soon as he's awake so I'll feed him before we join everyone else."

"Sounds like a plan" said Grant, dipping his head and kissing her before she started getting dressed.

"I'll be glad when we reach Avengers Tower and this plane finally lands" said Skye, frowning and placing her left hand over her stomach when they pulled apart. "It's been over five years since I was last on a plane and being airborne for so long again is making me feel sick."

"I don't think it's the plane somehow" said Grant, tugging her into his embrace and wrapping his arms around her waist. "I think it's more so all the over excitement of the upcoming wedding and knowing that you're only a couple of hours away from meeting the rest of The Avengers."

"Okay, yeah, there's that too" laughed Skye, as she lifted her arms up and looped them around his neck. "I think I might also be coming down with a cold or something. I've felt sick for a couple of days now as well as really tired."

"I've noticed how tired you've been lately too" said Grant, brows furrowing in concern. "You should ask Simmons to give you a quick check up while we're here. I'm sure she won't mind."

"If I start to feel any worse then I promise I will" said Skye, smiling up at him. "But for now I'm fine."

"Alright, if you say so" said Grant, smiling down at her, as he then dipped his head once more, kissing her for the second time that morning and just as Phillip decided that it was the perfect time to wake up and start crying.

* * *

Later that morning after everyone had finished their breakfast saw Grant challenge Tripp to a sparring match down in the gym that both Jemma and Leo also insisted on joining in with and trying their best to help their father win against their uncle, which unbeknownst to them also happened to catch the watchful eye of Maria on the balcony above them.

"Why are you spying on my husband?" asked Skye.

"I'm not spying on your husband" replied Maria, as she spun around to face Skye standing behind her, Phillip perched on her left hip and suckling on his pacifier. "I'm merely observing the sparring match going on below."

"I'm not dumb, Agent Hill, or Agent Rogers, whichever you prefer to go by now" said Skye, as she came to a stop beside Maria. "We both know you're really observing how my husband is around our children and how he interacts with a member of our former team."

"I'm still Agent Hill professionally since it's what I've always been known as around S.H.I.E.L.D., but privately I'm Maria Rogers" said Maria, her eyes locking with Skye's. "And you caught me, okay? That's exactly why I'm here."

"Haven't you got anything better to do?" asked Skye, furrowing her brows. "Like maybe go and watch how your own husband is with your children instead of mine?"

"Steve is putting James down for a quick nap before we land and Maggie wanted to hang out with her Uncle Phil and Aunt Melinda in the lounge" answered Maria. "This is where I ended up while looking for everyone else so I decided to just hang out here and observe the sparring match."

"It's just a harmless sparring match between my husband and one of his closest friends" said Skye, as she started lightly bouncing Phillip up and down on her hip when he started to fuss and attempt to crawl up her chest. "Jemma and Leo simply decided to try and help their Daddy out. They're perfectly fine because Grant would never hurt them and neither would Tripp."

"I don't think Ward is capable of hurting your children, Skye" said Maria, sighing heavily. "I think it's time we attempted to try and start over. What do you say?"

"I'm listening" said Skye, eyeing Maria up a little warily.

"I'm Maria Rogers and I find it very hard to let go of the past sometimes, even if it has been over five years now and never personally affected me too much like it did others" said Maria, as she extended out her right hand towards Skye to shake as a peace offering.

"It's nice to meet you, Maria" said Skye, her mouth curving up into a smile as she shook Maria's outstretched hand with her free one. "I'm Skye Ward and I'm very overprotective of my husband and children. I'd advise you not to get on my bad side again because trust me when I say that my bite is most _definitely _worse than my bark."

"I'll make sure I remember that" said Maria, laughing. "I really am sorry for how I've acted since you arrived on The Bus. You haven't deserved any of it and neither have your children."

"Apology accepted" said Skye, flashing her a small smile. "Are you going to apologise to my husband too?"

"Yes, because it's the right thing to do" said Maria, glancing down and over the railing, her eyes immediately settling upon Grant now looking up and watching her talking to Skye. "But I make no promises that we'll become friends afterwards, if ever for that matter."

"No one's asking you to be his friend" sighed Skye. "You can continue to keep out of his way as well as mine and avoid us all as much as you want but don't make your children do the same. I think our children could become pretty good friends while we're here and then once we're gone we never have to see each other again."

"Your children can play with mine from now on if they wish" said Maria, turning to face her with a smile. "But you needn't worry too much about them not making friends or having anyone to play with because you'll find at least eight more children at Avengers Tower when we eventually arrive."

"Eight? Seriously?" asked Skye, wide eyed. "How many of The Avengers have children exactly?"

"Pretty much all of them" said Maria, the corner of her mouth twisting into a sly smirk. "But you'll have to wait until you get there to find out who ended up with who and what they named their children."

"Ugh! _Dammit..." _muttered Skye under her breath. "...well, as long as Tony and Pepper ended up together in the end because I've always shipped them."

"Shipped them?" asked Maria, her expression now one of utter confusion. "I'm not sure what that means."

"Oh, um, never mind" said Skye a little sheepishly. "It's just a saying fangirls use."

"You're a Stark fangirl, huh?" laughed Maria. "Tony is going to just love you. You'd think his ego would've diminished slightly over the years and especially after becoming a father but sadly it just continues to get bigger and bigger every single day."

"Isn't that the case with all men?" laughed Skye.

_"Touché!"_ snorted Maria.

"I'm really glad we had this talk" smiled Skye. "I really hated getting off on the wrong foot with you yesterday. I just want everything to go as smoothly as it possibly can for my parents' wedding and that includes myself, Grant and our children being accepted by everyone while we're here."

"I think you'll find everyone else will take to you like my husband did which was very accepting" said Maria reassuringly. "Natasha might be a little distant to begin with like I was but probably not for long, if at all really. She's a lot more mellow these days since her daughter came into the world."

"Her daughter with Hawkeye, right?" asked Skye inquisitively.

"Patience is a virtue, Skye" said Maria, shaking her head at her. "You'll find out soon enough."

Skye just scrunched up her nose in slight frustration at not getting the confirmation she'd been hoping for.

"I think I should go and see if my husband managed to get our fussy son down for a nap or not" said Maria, as she moved away from the railing and turned to face Skye. "I promise I'll apologise to Ward for my behaviour before we land."

"Thank you, Maria" smiled Skye. "I really appreciate that."

"You're welcome, Skye" said Maria, smiling back as she set off in search of Steve. "I'll see you when we land."

"I think that went better than expected, don't you?" cooed Skye softly to Phillip, kissing his cheek and making him giggle.

"Everything alright up there, babe?" called out Grant from the gym mats below.

"Yeah, everything's fine, no need to worry!" replied Skye, smiling down at him, lifting up Phillip's right hand and waving it back and forth at Grant below her as she did so. "Say hi to your Daddy, Phillip!"

Phillip instantly kicked his legs against his mother's hip when he saw his father jumping up and down to get his attention as well as calling out his name and pulling funny faces at him, which then made him lunge forwards a little in order to reach out to him but was instantly stopped by his mother's tight and secure grip on him from getting very far.

"Easy there, kiddo. Babies can't fly, okay?" laughed Skye, kissing his nose as she set off in the direction of the spiral staircase. "I'll take you down to see your Daddy because your Mommy needs to go and see your Auntie Jemma in the lab about why being back on the plane is making her feel sick."

"_We've arrived in Manhattan and we're nearing Avengers Tower so it's time to buckle in everyone because we'll be landing in precisely 5 minutes..." _came May's voice over the intercom all of a sudden.

"Well, it looks like your Mommy is going to have to get your Auntie Jemma to see why she's been feeling sick a little later now..." said Skye, as she bounded back up the spiral staircase with Phillip in her arms, setting off in the direction of the lounge and with Grant, Jemma, Leo and Tripp following not too far behind her.


End file.
